01/01/96
Replaced cutless bearing.

05/19/2000
Engine hours 1280.
Changed oil and filters on engine and genset.

04/01/01
Replaced genset impeller.

04/08/01
Full fuel tank, engine hours 1372.

04/11/01
Replaced propeller shaft zinc.

05/03/01
Bought Florida Keys charts ($65) and toolbox and tools ($25).

05/04/01 10:40 Friday
Sexton Cove, Key Largo FL, took possession of Magnolia !
Engine hours 1377.
Practiced motoring and anchoring.
Anchorage N25.07.904 W80.25.900 Tarpon Basin, Key Largo.
Exposed to wind, no swells, no bugs.

05/06/01 3:00
Entered Mangrove Marina, Tavernier FL.
$602 for 1 month with TV, plus metered water
(1 cent/gallon) and electric (12 cents/KWH).
Downwind docking.  My first docking of this boat.
First try ended up slewing sideways a bit and
briefly resting against a pylon; got off and
second try was successful.

05/08/01
Aft head geysering.

05/09/01
Fixed aft head by replacing top gasket and
flapper valve ($95 for rebuild kit).

05/10/01
Cooling system problem (no coolant in header tank;
added 1/2 gallon antifreeze and 1/2 gallon water).
Suspect thermostat and temperature sensor problems.

05/11/01
Daysailed with Rich, Mike, Kelly, Joy.
No cooling system problem (just low coolant in header tank).
Turns out 1000 RPM in neutral is not enough to get temperature up;
1700 RPM in forward makes temperature go to 160-165.

05/12/01
Water system ran dry (read tank empty; couldn't tell that
front tank was full; pump didn't draw.

05/13/01
Dinghy outboard won't start.
Overfilled rear water tank. Pump still doesn't draw.

05/14/01
Bought ACR SOS light ($40) and signal flag ($10) so I
can get rid of flares.

05/15/01
Fixed water system: new filter and O-ring ($6),
tightened hose clamps.
Ran air conditioners to exercise them.
Bought hand-pump ($10), battery hydrometer ($3),
Fluke multimeter ($88).

05/17/01
Bought engine cleaner ($6).

05/18/01
Sailed and docked singlehanded.
A couple of inches of new water in bilge.
Secondary bilge pump alarm went off; primary
must be gunked up.

05/19/01
Went to look at bilge pumps and found that
engine had dumped its coolant.  And primary
and 3rd bilge pumps not working.  Impeller
and O-ring on 3rd bilge pump are toast.
Bought fire extinguisher ($16), diagonal
cutters ($7).

05/20/01
Pulled primary and 2nd bilge pumps.
Switch on primary is bad.

05/21/01
Got dinghy motor started (after spraying
a lot of cleaner into the air intake and
fuel intake on the carburetor).  Took
it for a ride to check it out.  We'll
see if it starts again this afternoon.
Bought soldering iron and solder ($11),
impeller for AC bilge pump ($13).

05/22/01
Installed new switch on primary bilge pump
and put it in bilge; works, but switch
really should be mounted facing stern, and
pump really should be as low as possible;
maybe I'll change it later.  Water squirts
out of side of pump; maybe need new pump.
Reinstalled 2nd bilge pump; electrical
connector is bad.
Installed new impeller and O-ring in 3rd
bilge pump, but it doesn't self-prime,
and doesn't hold water.  Probably need new pump.
Took off part of engine raw water coolant loop;
zinc is totally gone, bits in bottom of heat
exchanger.  Probably need new gasket at end
of heat exchanger.
Put for-sale sign on bow of boat.

05/23/01
Rained hard much of the day.
Contacted diesel mechanics.
Tried to buy new heat-exchanger gasket;
no luck.  Bought new zinc.

05/24/01
Rained hard in early AM.  Have leaks.
Exchanged zinc for another ($6).
Bought new heat-exchanger gasket ($3).
Bought stripper/crimper ($6).
Went for dinghy ride and did 5 minutes of
snorkeling; nice.
Had nice dinner on Rich's boat.
Put for-sale ad on boattraderonline,
emailed some prospects.

05/25/01 Friday
More rain.
Leak in port side of aft cabin probably
from GPS antenna wire or stanchion next to it.
Messed around with engine coolant loop, zinc.
Ran generator and main AC for 45 minutes.

05/26/01
Cut 1/2" off zinc to make it fit in heat exchanger.
Soldered new connector onto secondary bilge pump.
3rd bilge pump doctored up with lots of gasket-gunk seems
to draw a little bit, but still not good.
Manual bilge pump has air leak, maybe in hose.
Recaulked GPS antenna wire fitting on deck to stop leak.
Couldn't get stanchion bolts off; sprayed with CRC penetrant.
Took dinghy through Tavernier Creek to ocean; fun, but
a long way through a no-wake zone, and not much to do in
that part of ocean (lots of no-motor zone).
Tried to use stern barbeque: lighter out of butane,
barbeque out of propane ?
Lots of new boats in the marina for Memorial Day weekend.

5/27/2001
Took off fresh-water cooling pipe and removed thermostat.
Thermostat and gasket look a bit old.  Boiled
thermostat and it didn't "pop".
Failed again to remove bolts from port aft stanchion.

5/28/2001
Cleaned forward head.  Sump pump switch is bad.
Cleaned threads on heat exchanger zinc hole.
Dinner and beer on Jim and Dottie's boat.

5/29/2001
Diesel mechanics (Louis and Gary) came to look at
engine coolant problem.  Created new gasket near thermostat,
hacked out core of thermostat to disable it, reassembled
system.  Filled with 5 gallons of fresh water and found that
they couldn't pump up any pressure on the filler nozzle.
Fresh water must be going somewhere; determined that it
was leaking through heat exchanger into raw water side.
Removed header tank and heat exchanger; header tank badly
corroded, 2 frozen bolts.  Gap where cap on heat exchanger
was soldered to body; looked like it had been resoldered
at some time.  Raw water side of heat exchanger full of salt
and goo.  After bath in acid, cap fell off heat exchanger
completely.
Bought dustbuster ($35), AC fan ($10), fishing kit ($25).
Replaced filters on all air-conditioner fans.

5/30/2001
Ordered new heat exchanger (about $700).
Mechanics also recommend replumbing exhaust manifold; it
is aluminum and has raw water going through it; should have
fresh water.  May take opportunity to route fresh water
through water heater again.
Topped off house batteries with distilled water;
they needed a lot.
Signed up for boat insurance: $900/year for $500K liability,
2% hull deductible, 10% theft/catastrophe deductible,
Grilled sausages and corn-on-the-cob on stern barbeque.
Visited with Jim and Dottie.

5/31/2001
Showed boat to potential buyer: WD.
Topped off genset battery with distilled water.
Cleaned out water strainers for fore/aft cabin AC and
genset; couldn't budge gate valve for main cabin AC
water intake, and gate valve for engine intake is known bad.
About an inch of mud and seaweed in bottom of each strainer.
Took a dinghy ride to go for a swim.
Got one frozen bolt off port stern stanchion.

6/1/2001
New engine heat exchanger installed; all looks good.
Bought spark plug socket and gapper ($6).
Took out dinghy spark plugs; very oily with oily deposits.
Mosquito season has started; have to use screens at night.

6/2/2001
Tested cells in house batteries.  Most at 50% or 75%, one
at 100%.  A couple with oil in them or in the necks !
Motored down to Snake Creek (at 2000 RPM, engine never got
hotter than about 140, according to gauge), then tried to
sail back.  Only 4 to 6 knots of wind, so never got over
2.5 knots of boat speed.  Finally ended up motoring
about halfway back.  Rained as I returned.
Forward water tank is empty.

6/3/2001
Dove to put plug in engine intake from outside, but it
has a strainer on it (I knew that; forgot it).
Excursion to far side of engine compartment, to check
the through-hulls there, inventory the spare parts there,
clean everything.

6/4/2001
Rained hard a few times in the morning.
Cleaned cockpit lockers and chipped paint splashes
off fiberglass surfaces in cockpit.
Bought gasket stuff ($4), thermostat ($13),
outboard spark plugs ($7).
Put silicone on manual bilge pump.
Major mosquito attack when I made phone call
from a phone booth.
Ran AC most of the night, to see what it is like.
Nice to get rid of humidity, but noisy since AC fan
nevers shuts off.  Air is very still (almost stuffy)
when AC is off and boat is closed up.

6/5/2001
New spark plugs in outboard and took dinghy for a spin.
Cleaned out and under deck boxes; pretty messy.
Manual bilge pump works.

6/6/2001
Rained hard for an hour at 7:30 AM or so.
Found big leak under port settee; probably
coming from port middle shroud chainplate or nearby.
Water ends up under freezer; should take wood off
to look for damage.
Also found a RIVER running down the starboard side of
the boat from the main cabin into the engine compartment.
Probably originates behind shelf behind main settee,
probably from starboard shroud chainplates.
Also, gasket leak in opening port in galley.
In evening, terrible smell from under main settee;
water must have stirred up old gunk.

6/7/2001
Brief hard rain at 6:30 AM.  No port gasket leaks.
Cleaned under main settee, under refrigerator, etc.
Tested water heater; switch on electrical panel got hot !
Leak in hot water connection to sink on forward head;
fixed it.

6/8/2001
More last-minute cleaning.
My girlfriend arrived !
Ran AC all night in aft cabin while sleeping.

6/9/2001
Did some cleaning.  Found mildew under contact paper
in galley; attacked it with bleach.
Had a VERY nice 5-hour sail.  Just goofed around
within 3 miles of marina, but nice sunny weather,
everything went fine.  Could have used a little more
wind: mostly 6 knots, a few periods up to 10 knots.
Nice dinner at Old Tavernier restaurant (MM 90).
Ran AC all night in aft cabin while sleeping.

6/10/2001
Slept late, tired, ran main cabin AC in middle of day,
did some cleaning, had big argument about various things.
Cooked nice dinner and had to eat it alone.
Ran AC all night in aft cabin while sleeping.

6/11/2001
Cleaned boat some more and had a very nice visit from
Gary and Sheary Elder.  Went to lunch at Dillon's,
did some shopping, then went for a nice 3-hour sail.
Main salon AC hiccuped a bit (compressor kept
shutting off) before settling down and running steadily.
Ran AC all night in aft cabin while sleeping.

6/12/2001
Nice scrambled-egg breakfast.  More boat cleaning.
Check water in house batteries, added a little.
Coolant level looks good.  Dived on boat to try to
put plug in forward head intake, but it seems to
have an external strainer, and I was stung by little
beasts (sea lice ?) in the water.  Showered and
had a nice lunch.  Loafed.
Paid marina fee for extra week ($252).
Paid for heat exchanger work ($1397).
Water pump lost prime; adding petroleum jelly
to gasket fixed it.

People in Mangrove Marina, Tavernier:
Owners: Steve and Bernie
Workers: Baer, Ed, Chad
Residents: Bobby (sanding),
Rich (waxing) and cat Crackers,
Jim and Dottie (powerboat in next slip),
Joe (carpenter), Cliff (catamaran)

6/13/2001
Tavernier to Long Key Bight.
Saw two manatees in the anchorage at Tavernier.
Mostly motored from Tavernier to Snake Creek.
Went through Snake Creek bridge.
Sailed from there; mostly 4-6 knots of wind,
some 7-9.  Long, slow sail, but nice.
Anchored out in Long Key Bight, near 2 other boats.
Very nice dinner, but hot sleeping.

6/14/2001
Refrigerator seems to have stopped running because
of low battery voltage ?
Long Key Bight to Boot Key Harbor.
Almost no wind (3-4 knots most of the day).
Water system stopped working; probably air leak.
But forward tank is completely empty, and
we don't think we've used that much water.
Motored to Coffins fish haven and snorkeled there.
Waves a bit rough at first, but better later.
Motored through Sister Creek into Boot Key Harbor.
Lots of boats anchored.
Entered slip in Sombrero Marina - Dockside.
Only one shower/toilet/urinal/sink for all resident men;
one shower/toilet/sink for women.

6/15/2001
Paid $471 for one month stay in
Sombrero Marina - Dockside (unlimited 30-amp electric
and water included; includes $20 for cable TV).
Took Greyhound bus ($11) from Marathon to Tavernier
to pick up my car and bring it to Marathon.
Motored to Sombrero Reef and snorkeled there.
Waves pretty rough.
First time I've ever picked up a mooring.
Took engine-mounted generator off boat; left nasty
rust stains on gelcoat.  SoftScrub got some of it off.

People in Sombrero Marina - Dockside, Marathon:
Office: Nancy, Jim.
Neighbors: Don and cat Kiki.
	Ed and Marion Herndon (www.remedyandcrew.com).
	Sandy and Sue and dog Missy.
	Harold (Hunter 42).
	Dan (Endless Journey).

6/17/2001
Back from Miami.
Rained on boat while I was gone.
Bought Dremel ($70), Rustaid ($2), AC outlet tester ($5),
extension cord ($13).
AC outlet tester shows:
	- open ground on outlet for TV and stereo
	- hot/neutral reversed on outlet behind microwave
		(fixed 8/20/2001)
Started running air-conditioning most of the time to
keep mildew away and make boat more comfortable.

6/18/2001
Hard rain at 9 AM.
Filled forward water tank and tried to fix water system.
Used Rustaid to take most rust stains off stern deck.
Various cleaning and straightening up.
Running air-conditioning much of the time.

6/19/2001
Fixed water system (again).  Problem is in seating O-ring
in filter; it appears you have to tighten the screw, then
un-tighten the clear body of the housing to get a good
seal on the O-ring.
Unbedded port aft stanchion base that may be source
of leak into port aft berth.  Goof-Off took off old silicone.
Received birthday present of orbital sander from my
brother Dan; no excuse for putting off pilothouse work now !
Neighbor Don got new boat.
Bought nuts and bolts for stanchion base ($3).
Tried ketchup to polish stainless steel stanchion;
didn't work very well.
Running air-conditioning much of the time.

6/20/2001
Found that port aft stanchion base is missing
a teak pad; someone had just stuffed a bunch of
silicone in there.
Bought drill ($36), drill bits ($8), epoxy ($2),
small piece of teak ($2).
Put some epoxy in bolt hole to try to build up
the fiberglass face that the bolt head seats against.
Sawed and Dremeled and drilled piece of teak to make pad.
Running air-conditioning much of the time.

6/21/2001
More shaping of stanchion pad.  Turns out the
bolt-holes through the toerail are not square,
so the holes through the teak pad have to be massaged.
Cut 1/2 inch off one of the bolts.
Also, the cap was split on my tube of silicone, so
it was partly solidified.  Finally got everything
assembled; final tightening tomorrow.  Hope it
stops the leak.
Did some cleaning in engine compartment behind genset,
checked genset coolant and oil, then ran genset for
1 hour under load to exercise it.
Running air-conditioning much of the time.
Bought parts to make oil-change pump ($13).
Took dinghy for a short ride, put cover on it.

6/22/2001
Tightened stanchion; finished (although now
everyone tells me I should have used polysulfide
instead of silicone; easy to change later).
Put duct tape on side of dinghy.
Motored out into ocean through Sister Creek
and scraped and sanded top of pilothouse.
Bought gelcoat repair kit ($6), WEST SYSTEM manual ($3),
silicone ($5).
Amazingly good saxophone/flute and bass duo playing
at the lounge tonight.  Magical.

6/23/2001
Bought interior paint with mildewcide ($9 for a quart),
paintbrushes ($4), acetone ($3), hose for oil-change
pump ($5), pipe dope ($2).
Tried gelcoat repair kit on a couple of spots
in the cockpit.

6/24/2001
Cleaned out V-berth and galley lower cupboards,
washed them with bleach and then with water,
then painted much of them with Behr Premium Plus
number 7050 Ultra Pure White interior satin enamel
paint (acrylic latex; mildew resistant).
Bought more bleach and paintbrushes ($3).
Did laundry.

6/25/2001
More cabinet painting; finished lower galley
cabinets and cabinet under stereo.
Tried some gelcoat chip touchups; looks like sanding
will be needed to fair it; no way to get it good
using the little scraper in the kit.
Cleaned cabinets in hallway and port side of
aft cabin in preparation for painting.

6/26/2001
Painted cabinets in hallway and port side of
aft cabin.

6/27/2001
Painted aft head lower cabinets.
Hosed sanding dust off pilothouse.
Showed boat to prospective buyer H.
Put paint sprayer on dock, marked alternator
and sprayer as "free".
Bought WEST SYSTEM epoxy at West Marine ($125).
Paint sprayer gone.
Painted forward head lower cabinet.

6/28/2001
Thunderstorm at 9:30 AM, rain all morning.
Definitely leak through GPS antenna wire.
Someone coming to take alternator tonight.
Rained off and on all day.
Took apart moldings to get at GPS antenna
wire hole from below, but can't do it; it
is between the deck fiberglass and a
layer of plywood.  Did manage to find
and pull out a loop of extra wire; that
may be useful.  Next step: seal cracks
in wire's insulation above deck.

6/29/2001
Poured water on deck to find leaks.
Found leak under teak on top of toerail forward
of GPS antenna wire.
Found that forward settee leak is not coming
from port shroud chainplates.
Put epoxy filler on divots in top of pilothouse.

6/30/2001
Rained hard at 3 AM and 7:30 AM.  Deck leaks
now are a higher priority !
Finished aft port deck leak work.

7/1/2001
Rained hard at 7 AM and 6 PM.
Worked on forward port deck leak.
Tough time getting teak off and getting
caulk off it.

7/2/2001
Put teak back on forward port deck leak area.
Did lots of gelcoat chip touchups.
Cleaned off knotmeter transducer.
Bought epoxy rollers ($20).
Sanded filler spots on top of pilothouse (at 9 PM !)
in preparation for adding more filler.

7/3/2001
Added more filler to top of pilothouse.
Did more gelcoat chip touchups.
Tried to get hose off forward head sink drain,
to see how hard it is to replace gate-valve;
couldn't get it off.

7/4/2001
Sanded top of pilothouse.
Cut hose off forward head sink drain,
put pipe wrench on gate-valve, and it
spun the through-hull.  Don't see any
way that could have been avoided short
of someone outside the hull putting
some kind of wrench inside the through-hull,
or else using a torch to heat the gate-valve
to free it from the through-hull.  I'll
bet the two are corroded together so tightly
that they can't be separated.
Guess I'd better have the boatyard people
do all of the gate-valve work.
Beautiful red sunset; red clouds all around
the compass.  Then brilliant full moon through
clouds.  Then fireworks in several directions.

7/5/2001
Put 3 coats of epoxy on the top of the pilothouse.
Managed to do the one thing I wanted
to avoid: spilled a huge load of epoxy on the
starboard side deck.  Went crazy wiping it up
with acetone, then guy on neighboring boat gave
me some epoxy reducer, which worked much better.
Got most of it up.  He advised me to use some
Soft Scrub afterward, which I did.
Made commitment to put boat in Marathon Marina
for gate-valve work and painting.
Probably going to be $4000, but needs to be done.
Bought putty knife, drop-cloth, antifreeze ($10).
Drained engine coolant; ran fresh water through
until it stopped coming out rusty.  Took
coolant loop apart so I could put new thermostat
in, but it looks like new thermostat won't fit.
Went to bed fairly pissed off at the boat.

7/6/2001
Bought gasket material ($2), determined that
thermostat is the right one, but my engine has
"fluting" in the mounting that prevents the
thermostat from seating.  So I hammered it into
shape to fit.  Boiled it to make sure it still
works.  Sculpted gasket material into two
gaskets.  Put in two layers of adhesive gasket
material with goop between them.
Fresh water system air-locked again !

7/7/2001
Sanded top of pilothouse to get it ready for painting.
Bought paint rollers, mineral spirits, tape ($15).

7/8/2001
Rained several times in the morning.
Put first coat of paint (Easypoxy glossy white)
on top of pilothouse.
Rained hard at 7 PM.
Leaks from gaskets on ports in forward head, galley,
and starboard port in aft cabin.
Deck leak from port aft scupper into closet
on port side of aft cabin.
Deck leak from stanchion in front of port aft stern
cleat into aft corner of port berth in aft cabin.

7/9/2001
Rained in the morning.
Worked on port aft deck leaks; took teak off
and rebedded it.
Ran engine for 20 minutes to test coolant.
Bought gallon of Valspar topside paint ($34).
Rained in the evening.

7/10/2001
Rained in the morning, then off and on all day.
Wanted to sand pilothouse, but can't.
Took teak off to work on deck leak and found port
aft shroud chainplate for mainmast is cracked badly.
Took fresh water pump apart to see if diaphragm is bad;
one small cut/crack in it but I don't think it
goes through, and I don't think that's causing the
air leak.
Drained and replaced some engine coolant to remove
rust, then ran engine for 20 minutes.

7/11/2001
Put fresh water pump back together; water
system still doesn't work.
Motored out into ocean to test engine
cooling; worked perfectly.  Temp went up
to 180 and stayed there.  Pretty rough
in ocean; 3-foot swells with whitecaps.
Anchored in Sister Creek to sand.  Genset
wouldn't start, so hand-sanded top of pilothouse.
Nasty crosswind docking; had to loop around.
Bought rub-rail stuff for davits ($15).

7/12/2001
Put 2nd (last ?) coat of paint on top of pilothouse;
used Valspar topside glossy white.
Flushed more rusty water out of engine coolant loop.
Genset still won't start.
Potential buyer stopped by.
Installed rubrails on davits.
Adjusted anode/fin on dinghy outboard to try to
fix constant turning to starboard.

7/13/2001
Took off more teak to see if any other chainplates
are cracked.
Flushed more rusty water out of engine coolant loop,
put antifreeze in.
Bought anti-crack stuff ($10).

7/14/2001
Put teak back on toerail.
Left marina at 1:30, anchored out in
Boot Key Harbor.  Nervous: one anchor,
and I have much bigger swinging circle than
everyone else (because they're on moorings),
and there are boats, pilings and hard lee
shores in every direction.
Started raining at 8 PM; kept going until
about 9 AM the next morning.  Wind up
to 35 knots.  Changed directions 180 degrees
twice during night.  Anchor didn't budge at all.

7/15/2001
Dinghied in to Sombrero Marina - Dockside ($3)
for shower and to read newspaper.
Ran genset for 1 hour (turned out overheat
breaker had been tripped; starting was difficult
but it started on 3rd try).
Cleaned gaskets in ports in galley and
starboard aft cabin.

7/16/2001
Hauled out at Marathon Marina boatyard.
Ran aground twice in middle of Boot Key Harbor
trying to get to boatyard.  Marina was completely
full of seaweed.

7/17/2001
Worker Gary removed almost all gate-valves
in one 6-hour day.  Through-hulls look good
(removed a couple of those to see).  Some mounting
pads for through-hulls (the ones below waterline
in the engine compartment) have dry-rot.  Some
hoses disintegrated when he put pliers on them
to twist them off.
I found that one of my dinghy davits is cracked
completely through !  May have happened during storm
three nights ago ?
I took down all sails (in preparation for storing
the boat for 3 weeks in hurricane season) and found
that the main halyard is in very bad shape where
it goes over the sheave; needs immediate replacement.

7/18/2001
Flew to California for a vacation away from the boat.

7/20/2001
Boatyard has fixed davits for $500 without checking
with me first (I did tell them to start the job, but
they didn't call me to tell me the amount before proceeding).
They say I'll be very happy with the new davit sections.

7/22/2001
Severe rainstorms in Florida.  Hope boat is okay.
Hope cockpit drains haven't filled up the engine
compartment.

8/8/2001
The boatyard has finished all of the work, a week
before I'm going to get back to the boat.
The total (with tax) is about $4000.  Just
about where I thought it would be (after the
unexpected repair to the davits).  So they
painted the bottom, replaced gate-valves
and hoses, fixed davits, fixed a couple
of chunks out of fiberglass on keel,
installed strap to protect propeller.

8/14/2001
Got to the boatyard and found that the work was
NOT done:  needed a piece of pipe to attach
a valve, keel strap not installed, new davit
sections not installed, some strainers missing
from outsides of through-hulls.  Decided to remove
keel strap because it would have increased
draft by 2 inches and been lowest point on keel.
#1 house battery is dead; probably they left a
light on.  Boat is very dirty.
Gate-valve near holding tank was overlooked
and not replaced.  They put a new zinc on
the propeller shaft.
Bottom-paint looks like they did a good sanding
and painting job.
The bill is $4169; biggest thing I've ever
put on a credit card !  They don't seem to have charged
me for any "yard days"; I was expecting a $400
charge for that.  And they didn't charge me for
the unused keel strap; very nice of them.
Breakdown:
  $1125 for HBL, PW and bottom-painting
   $577 for davits parts and labor
  $1237 for labor on through-hulls, valves, hoses
   $888 for parts
   $340 for tax and EPA fee
Met Jim Edwards on "Green Dolphin".
Finally got boat launched at 5 PM; seems to be
okay.  Motored over to Sombrero Marina - Dockside.
Good docking.  Trouble getting shore power working:
one dead outlet and one bad power cord.
Dan on "Endless Journey" helped me with it.
Bled air conditioner pumps to get them working;
main cabin AC water flow seems to be restricted,
which would explain why the AC cuts in and out.
Exhausted and headache from jet lag, Florida
heat, long stressful day, not enough food.
Saw very large flying cockroach in galley and
sprayed it pretty well with Raid; it ran off into
the V-berth.

8/15/2001
Overnight charge seems to have fixed #1 battery.
Stopped running battery-charger continuously
while on shore power.
Did some cleaning.
Put knotmeter sensor back in.

8/16/2001
Rained hard in early AM; no leaks !
Cleaned all water intake strainers;
didn't fix problem with main AC cycling on and off.
Both house batteries holding charge.
More cleaning; lots of dust, bronze shards, wood splinters,
some v-shaped metal pieces near forward head intake.
Found dead body of the cockroach I sprayed.

8/17/2001
More vacuuming in engine compartment.
Scrubbed deck, cockpit, and dinghy sole with
SoftScrub to get boatyard dust stains off.
A few nasty stains remain.
Ran genset for 45 minutes to exercise it.
Bought shore power connector ($12).
In evening, nice band at the lounge, and
spectacular lightning to north of us.

8/18/2001
Took spin in dinghy to exercise it.
Found that keel is full of water; maybe that
explains the broken davits.
Came home later to find dark black oil dripping
from the propeller (shaft bearing ?).  Maybe
because I left the dinghy in an extreme bow-up
attitude to drain the keel ?
Nice lightning to north of us in evening again.

8/19/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Forward water tank empty; filled it.
Very hot; got to 95+ inside boat without AC.
Installed new connector on shorepower cord.

8/20/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Bought 5 gallons of motor oil ($43) and a main
engine oil filter ($7).
Very hot (low 90's outside).

8/21/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Rained briefly in morning.
Ran RADAR for 10 minutes to exercise it.
Rained moderately hard in afternoon.
Checked water-tank vent through-hulls; they
weren't clogged.
Fixed wiring on AC outlet behind microwave.
Fire extinguisher behind microwave reads "red".
Rained hard late in afternoon.
Bought container for used oil ($3), wire for
FM stereo antenna ($6).

8/22/2001
Ran engine for 15 minutes.
Changed main engine oil and filter.
Engine hour 1417.

8/23/2001
Ran genset for 15 minutes and then started
to change oil.  Couldn't get pump to draw
oil out.

8/24/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Finished genset oil change; hour-meter
reads 158.3.  Had to prime pump with about a
half quart of oil.  Got 2.5 quarts of oil out, and
oil was cold, so probably need to change again
relatively soon, and do it right.
Ran main engine to circulate oil; no leaks.

8/25/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Bought and installed two plugs ($3) in exhaust riser.
Bought stool ($7) for boarding boat.
Main engine heat exchanger zinc totally wasted;
replaced it.
Ran genset to circulate oil; no leaks.
Local boat-diver told me marina is full of stray
electrical currents, so I may have to invest
in some isolation hardware to combat that.
Main cabin air conditioner is not running well;
may have to get a specialist to look at it.

8/26/2001
Touched up some gelcoat chips.
Tested AC outlets: no problems.

8/27/2001
Bought zinc and wire ($12) and hung it
from the boat.  Bought engine remote-start
switch ($15) to crank engine for bleeding
fuel system.

8/28/2001
Removed engine primary fuel filters.
Cancelled Sailnet order for halyard stuff;
their web site screwed it up.  Placed order
through Marathon boatyard ($412).  They convinced
me to order 316 instead of 302/304.
Reinstalled engine primary fuel filters.

8/29/2001
Removed engine fuel strainer and secondary
filter; replaced secondary filter.
Strainer is totally gunked up.
Removed genset zinc; totally wasted.
Heat exchanger drain bolt looks like it
was sheared off a while ago.
Bought zinc for genset ($4).

8/30/2001
Cleaned and reinstalled engine fuel strainer.
Removed, cleaned and reinstalled genset fuel strainer.
Put new zinc in genset.
Bought new fuel filters ($41) and 5/8" wrench ($4).
Bought new genset fuel strainer and gasket ($3).
Installed new genset fuel strainer.
Tried to replace genset secondary filter and failed
(couldn't get wrench on nut to loosen it).
Replaced genset primary fuel filter.
Tried to bleed genset fuel system and failed
(couldn't loosen nut on secondary filter, didn't
get any resistance when moving priming lever, not
sure which way to move it).
Started genset and ran it for 15 minutes.

8/31/2001
Tried to bleed main engine fuel system; failed.
Found gasket in fuel lift pump was mangled when
I reassembled it.
Bought new O-ring for fuel lift pump ($1).
Took delivery of halyard wire and parts.

9/1/2001
Was able to bleed main engine fuel system and
start engine !  Had to pour some fuel into
lift pump.  Ran engine for 15 minutes.
Engine hours 1417.5.
Tried to replace main halyard, but couldn't figure
good way to attach new wire to end of old wire,
to pull it through.  Wire-to-wire "splices" ended
up too thick to pull through "eyes" on mast.

9/2/2001
Did some gelcoat touchups.
Tried and failed to pull main halyard.
Lots of reading on air conditioning and
refrigeration and batteries.

9/3/2001
Woke up and saw a rainbow; it appeared to have
one end on the lounge.
Tried to pull main halyard through and it
separated at the top of the mast; now I have
to climb the mast !
Forward water tank is empty; filled it.
Did some gelcoat touchups.

9/4/2001
Did some gelcoat touchups.
Took apart some of pressure-water system,
and a coupling on the pump broke off.
Bought a clarinet !

9/5/2001
Cleaned oil out of the bilge.
Bought new couplings for pressure-water pump ($1).

9/6/2001
Installed couplings for pressure-water pump,
found split in a hose.
Put dowel into fuel tank and measured 13 inches
of fuel out of 18 inches of total tank depth.
Engine hours 1417.7.

9/7/2001
Bought new switch for forward shower sump
pump ($10), 5 feet of water hose ($5).
Installed sump pump switch, but pump doesn't
work (it used to work when I shorted the
old switch).  Installed water hose, still
no go on pressure-water system.  Arghh !
Finally got some life out of the pressure-water
system after filling aft tank, switching
to spare pump, priming hoses with water, opening
lots of faucets.

9/8/2001
Checked battery water.  Genset battery positive
terminal needed cleaning.  Removed frozen
genset fuel valve; bought replacement ($12).

9/9/2001
Took access plate off main engine raw water
pump; gasket is toast, impeller looks good.
Bought gasket sheets ($6), ordered water
pump gaskets ($6), Dremel bit set ($13),
spray lubricant ($3), outboard gear oil ($7),
genset fuel valve connectors ($3).
Installed new genset fuel valve.
Changed gear oil in outboard motor.
Thunderstorm right overhead at 7 PM.
Deck leak onto freezer from joint in
white headliner material.

9/10/2001
Traced deck leak to opening port above freezer.
Tried to take of it's outside frame, but it
is tightly caulked and started crumbling, so
I just put silicone caulk on all off the screws.
Bought valves for fresh water system ($8),
washers for intake strainers ($8), acid to
flush air conditioner condensers ($6),
water system hose ($12), bonding wire ($3).
Went back and bought correct size of water
system hose ($12) !  Installed new water hose
and water valves; still no go.
Put new washers in genset water intake and ran
genset for 10 minutes to test washers and new
fuel valve; no problems.  Had to pour fuel into
fuel line and use priming lever before
genset would start.
Replaced washers on all intake strainers.

9/11/2001
Flushed forward/aft air conditioner condenser
with acid solution; what a fiasco !  The hose
I used didn't fit tightly enough, acid solution
splashed down in the engine compartment, I dumped
baking soda solution to counteract the acid, then
cleaned up everything.
Heard about terrorist attacks on World Trade
Center and Pentagon.
Installed bonding wires on below-waterline
through-hulls in engine compartment.
Got engine raw water pump gaskets, installed
one and ran engine for 5 minutes to test it.
Ordered bosun's chair ($74) and shortwave
receiver ($130).

9/12/2001
Inspected bottom of dinghy keel, found more water
in keel (fresh; must be coming from above), took
dinghy for a short spin, found keel-plug washer
is in bad shape.
Inspected genset raw-water pump impeller; it was
okay but gasket was toast.
Bought genset impeller gaskets ($4).
Replaced dinghy keel-plug washer.
Still have deck leak from opening port above freezer.
Downloaded and installed JVComm32 weatherfax program.
Rained very hard at 10 PM.

9/13/2001
Ran bonding wires to forward through-hulls.
Worked on port aft scupper that has deck leak.
Rained hard at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM.
New deck leak from headliner / cabin joint
above aft end of opening port over main table.
Strong winds (gusting to 45-50 knots ?) all
night (SE edge of tropical storm Gabrielle).

9/14/2001
More strong winds all day; some heavy rain
in morning.
Took off teak above aft end of opening port
over main table to see if I can fix deck leak;
put it back on, sealing cracks and screwholes
with silicone.  Maybe fixed some of leak;
didn't get it all.
Some heavy rain at night.

9/15/2001
Rebedded another piece of teak that might be
causing leak.
More water inside dinghy keel; definitely
coming from above.  Partially deflated tubes,
cleaned out muck, looked for cracks.
Rebedded rubber hoods on starboard side of cockpit.
Bought MEK ($5) and fiberglass cloth ($27).

9/16/2001
Left Sombrero Marina - Dockside and anchored
out in Boot Key Harbor.  Crisis at the last
moment: as I was warming up the engine and
getting ready to cast off, the engine died.
Found that the bolt on top of the fuel lift
pump had come loose (actually, looks like
I may have overtightened it and sheared it off).
Managed to fix it (temporarily) and bleed the
fuel system and get the engine working.
But I'll have to take the whole pump off
and investigate when I get a chance.
Anchored on the north side of the channel,
near the dredge, in 10 feet of water.
Wind died completely in the evening, so sleeping
was a bit stuffy, but it wasn't too hot.

9/17/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Did some gelcoat touchups.
Ordered climbing equipment to go up mast ($210).
Pressure-water system working better.
Ran genset for 45 minutes to cook dinner,
run soldering iron, run Dremel to cut main
downhaul fitting off, charge batteries.
Bad sinus headache all night; little sleep.

9/18/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Bad headache in morning; slept in.
Carved some teak I got from a dumpster, to
fix gap in rim of pilothouse roof.
Swaged thimbles onto wire to make new main
gooseneck downhaul.
Ran engine for 45 minutes to charge batteries.

9/19/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Did some gelcoat touchups.
Rained hard from 12:30 to 2:30 PM.
More leaks: one across from engine
compartment door, at wall/headliner junction.
Rebedded small piece of teak at forward
starboard corner of pilothouse; removed
a 7-foot piece from port side of pilothouse.
Ran genset for 45 minutes to charge batteries.

9/20/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Refrigerator wasn't running this morning;
maybe voltage changes while charging
screwed it up ?
Moved boat into Florida Keys Marina (Marathon
city marina).  Paid $284 for remainder of Sept;
turns out the monthly rate only applies for
a calendar month: 1st to 1st !
Worked on big piece of teak from port side
of pilothouse.

Here is the battery/charging data for the
three days I anchored out.  I ran anchor light
all night, refrigerator all the time, an hour
or so of one light each day for reading;
85 degrees outside.
The goal is to have batteries ping-pong between
80% charged (about 12.5) or more and 50% charged
(about 12.2).
time		switch	2 / fwd	1 / aft
-----------------------------------------------
Sun 7:30 PM		1	12.50		12.43
Mon 7:30 AM		1	12.40		12.06
Mon 6:00 PM		1	12.39		11.91
Charged with genset for 45 minutes.
Mon 7:30 PM		2	12.53		12.18
Tues 1:00 PM	2	11.95		12.11
Tues 7:00 PM	2	11.82		12.11
Engine wouldn't crank on battery 2 alone.
Engine ammeter went to +30.
Charged with engine at 1000 RPM for 45 minutes.
Tues 8:00 PM	2	12.32		12.42
Wed 10:00 AM	2	11.88		12.19
Wed 8:00 PM		2	11.82		12.17
Charged with genset for 45 minutes.
battery charger said 14 amps.
Wed 9:00 PM		2	12.18		12.37
Refrigerator stopped running overnight, or
during/after charging.
Thurs 9:30 AM	2	11.88		12.20
Conclusions:
	a- My batteries won't charge over about 80%.
	b- Need to charge 60+ minutes, not 45.
	c- Engine charges better than genset.

People in Florida Keys Marina, Marathon:
Employees: Harry (manager), Cindy (dockmaster),
	John (trainee), Doug.
Residents: Harold (Cal 46);
	Doug and Nancy and dog Snapper (Morgan 37);
	John (moored Catalina 30 "Serene");
	Duane;
	Jim (tools);
	Mike;
	Richard;
	Diver Dave;
	Gino (anchors).

9/21/2001
Did some laundry in a bucket.
Of course they turned off the marina
water halfway through my "wash cycle".
Took off some more teak trim.
Epoxied pieces of teak into gap in
pilothouse roof edge.
Received my shortwave receiver and
mast-climbing gear.
Bought gooseneck downhaul shackle and
spare ($10), and silicone caulk ($5).

9/22/2001
Did more laundry in a bucket.
Installed gooseneck downhaul shackle.
More epoxy work on gap in pilothouse roof edge.
Did a battery-charging test.
Bought polysulfide caulk ($10), cotterpins ($2),
cable between SSB radio and computer ($5).
Reinstalled two pieces of teak on port side
of pilothouse.
Recaulked part of aft head shower.
Got weatherfax working, somewhat.  Lots of static
in signal, didn't detect start of page/line properly,
but definitely a weatherfax.

Battery-charging data, using AC-powered charger;
85-90 degrees outside:
time		2 / fwd	1 / aft
-------------------------------------
11:15 AM	12.01		12.14
Ran charger; pulled 20-18 amps at 12 V.
12:20 turned charger off
12:35		12.33		12.43
Charger pulled 20 amps again.
1:25 PM	12.55		12.63
Charger pulled 19 amps.
2:20 PM	12.65		12.72
Next morning:
9:15 AM	12.22		12.32
Conclusions:
	- 3 hours to charge from 40% to 95%.
	- self-discharged from 95% to 55% in 19 hours ???
		Maybe ran shower pump during that time ?
		But battery switch was not on "both".

9/23/2001
Started to measure and cut glass cloth to
put on edge of pilothouse roof, then it
started raining hard.
Rebedded teak on front of pilothouse.
Filled water tanks.
Did more laundry.
Cut fiberglass cloth to put on top edge of
pilothouse roof.
Did some more weatherfaxing.

9/24/2001
Epoxied fiberglass cloth on edge of
pilothouse roof; what a messy, hot job !
Bought links for mast-climbing ($6),
wrench for injector pump bleed points ($3),
bolt and pin for anchor platform ($2).
Drilled hole in bolt and put new bolt and
pin on anchor platform.

9/25/2001
Touchup work (trimming and sanding and more epoxy)
on edge of pilothouse roof.
Worked out harness for lifting motor off dinghy;
took bolts off and got the motor loose.
Looked at sheared bolt on fuel lift pump.
Went for short walk to other side of marina
and got nipped by a couple of dogs.
Put together mast-climbing gear.
City-wide power failure at 11:15 PM.

9/26/2001
Tried mast-climbing gear; it works.
Removed a couple of pieces of teak trim.
Removed outboard from dinghy, removed
propeller from outboard, tried to drain water
from dinghy keel but didn't get any.
Bought pieces of line to complete mast-climbing
gear ($13).  Got outboard propeller shaft
lube for free.

9/27/2001
Lots of wind and hard rain in the early AM.
Still have a couple of serious deck leaks.
No water in dinghy keel; maybe there isn't a leak.
Scrubbed mildew on outside of dinghy tubes.
Caulked aft head shower.
Ordered Perkins service manual ($90).
Bought West System hardener ($10) and gelcoat
touchup ($7).
Hard rain in evening.

9/28/2001
More rain in early AM.
Rain off and on all day.
Put motor back on dinghy.
Disassembled anchor windlass, took gipsy to
stores to test against chain types.
Rain and wind at 10 PM.

9/29/2001
Strong wind (up to 40 knots) and hard rain
off and on all early AM.  Most of the deck
leaks have reappeared.  Rained until noon.
Rebedded several pieces of teak with 3M 101
(polysulfide) instead of silicone.
Took off rotted board on ledge on port side of
pilothouse, only to find a TOTALLY rotted
board underneath it.  The rotted board
continues underneath solid parts beneath the
port side windows; I'm going to have to dig
it out as best I can and try to seal the
edges and insert new wood.  Dug the rotted
wood out in chunks with a putty knife and my
fingers.
Beautiful night for sleeping: cool and breezy.

9/30/2001
Took off some trim in the cockpit, to see
how far the rotted wood goes.
Cool, breezy weather.

10/1/2001
Air-conditioning / freezer technician came
today ($235).  Forw/aft air-conditioner is fine.
Main cabin air-conditioner probably has
blockage in evaporator; recommends new
evaporator at $800 for part and maybe $200
labor.  Freezer had no refrigerant at all;
tried to find leak and couldn't; charged
with 1 lb R414B; relay in control box was
stuck and had to be poked before system
would run.
Did a bucket of laundry.
Pulled and sawed out rotted wood on port side
of pilothouse.
Paid for month of October in marina ($473).
Filled water tanks.
Bought dinghy drain plug ($2), caulk gun ($4),
blue tape ($4), Bactine ($6).
Took apart anchor shackles to see if they
were frozen.
Dug some caulk out of a pilothouse window.
Cool, breezy weather.

10/2/2001
More work on port side of pilothouse.
Bought DC-DC power converter and 12 volt
sockets and various cables at Radio Shack ($46).
Bought window caulk ($2; DAP Alex Plus acrylic latex
caulk plus silicone) and wood filler ($4).
Found some wood in a woodshop dumpster, cut it to fit
pilothouse.

10/3/2001
More work on port side of pilothouse, cutting
and fitting pieces of wood, putting in wood filler.
Climbed the mast; got the main halyard up but couldn't
get it through the roller-furling block (goes across
two sheaves and then has to make 45-degree turn to
go through block).  Climbing was scary and exhausting,
but that was the first time.  Should get easier with
practice.  Got a couple of cuts/scrapes from it.
Filled holes on coaming on port side of pilothouse
with epoxy.
Caulked some windows (just lower edges).
Found some more needed wood in marina dumpster.

10/4/2001
Brief rain at 8 AM.
Epoxied pieces of wood into port side of pilothouse.
Weather still cool and breezy and nice.
Caulked more windows (just lower edges).
Finished all of them except the two front-center
ones; those two look okay so I left them alone.
Climbed mast again, and failed to get main halyard
through again.  After I came down, my friend John
suggested running it through in the other
direction, and that should work.  Got more bruises
on top of the bruises from climbing it yesterday.
At least I didn't donate any blood to it this time.
And climbing in the cool of the evening was better.

10/5/2001
A bit hotter today, but still breezy.
More wood filler and sanding on port side of pilothouse,
then cut wood and epoxied it in.
Loosened propeller shaft stuffing box nuts, to make
sure they moved, and to get familiar with stuffing box.
Cleaned bilge.
Found holding tank was not empty (I thought it
was), so added some fresh water and asked for
pump-out from marina.
Climbed the mast again, and for the 3rd time failed
to get the main halyard through properly.  Got it
through, but too much friction, so it must be wrong.

10/6/2001
Hot today.
Trimmed window caulk.
Epoxied more wood on port side of pilothouse.
Had holding tank pumped out; just clear water
in there; it looked dark through side of tank.
Looked at Bahamas charts and guides.

10/7/2001
Frustrating day today.
Hot, wasted the morning, and then just about
everything I did failed.
More wood filler on port side of pilothouse.
Tried to take dinghy for a spin; motor started
but then milky gunk came up out of tank and
stopped it.  And carburetor seems to be stuck
again.  Ran cleaner into it, examined plugs,
tried to start several times.  Will see if
cleaner has worked tomorrow.
Tried to start genset; cranked but wouldn't
start, then got "overheated electrical"
smell from its starter motor.
Took bolts off main engine fuel lift pump,
but gasketing is holding it on tight.

10/8/2001
Brief hard rain at 8:30 AM.
Epoxied glass cloth onto aft corners of
pilothouse roof, and over new wood on port
side of pilothouse.
Did laundry.
Dinghy still won't start; decided to discard
all gasoline and tank and buy all new.
Got fuel lift pump off main engine.
Climbed mast and got new main halyard through
properly; only took 4 tries !  Still more
friction than I'd like, but the jib halyard
has just as much friction.  Maybe the masthead
sheaves need replacing.

10/9/2001
Wind and slight rain all night, then stronger
wind and more rain all day.  Hard rain 8-9 AM.
Tired and headachy all day.
Bought engine paint ($3), ordered engine fuel
lift pump gaskets ($3), ordered propeller nuts,
bought Rustoleum ($6), grease gun ($11),
marine grease ($3), window caulk ($2),
Felco rigging wire clippers ($50).

10/10/2001
Windy and occasionally rainy all night,
then sunny and breezy and dry all day.
Finished main halyard; got new wire to
run through on spare jib halyard and
finished it too.  Tried to pull new wire
through on jib halyard and it separated at
top of mast; have to climb to do that one.
Started reconstructing anchor chain locker
to handle 100' chain on each anchor; have
to build shelf, raise one reel of rope.
Scrounged some nice wood out of a dumpster.
Bought tap for fuel lift pump bolt ($9),
penetrating oil ($2), lumber for chain locker ($2).
Sawed two pieces of wood for chain locker.
Tested nav lights; port running light is out.

10/11/2001
Ordered 200' of Acco 3/8" BBB anchor chain
from Maritime Marketing in Miami ($495 including
shipping and tax).
Epoxy on pilothouse and chain locker shelf.
Climbed main mast and got jib halyard through;
swaged thimble onto it.  Sheaves at masthead
seem to be frozen; main halyard and spare
halyard are crossed near masthead.

10/12/2001
Did a bucket of laundry.
Cut and sculpted and painted chain locker shelf.

10/13/2001
More sculpting and painting chain locker shelf.
Cleaned contacts on port running light; works now.
Checked bulb in lower stern running light and
it fell apart in my hands.
Rain at 11 AM.
Bought another board for chain locker shelf ($1),
clevis pin for jib shackle ($4), bulbs for lower
stern running light ($4), Bahamas and Q flags ($19).
Found out that all my running lights are wrong
size (10 watt; should be 20 watt).
Cut and painted new board for chain locker shelf.
Put main engine fuel lift pump onto engine.

10/14/2001
Took apart upper stern light.
More assembling and painting chain locker shelf.
Rain at 9 AM.
Heavy rain and lightning around 11 AM.
Bled main engine fuel system and got it
running !  Ran engine for 15 minutes; surges
a bit (must be air leak into fuel lines), but
generally okay.
Painted outboard motor lock.
Tried and failed to start outboard motor.

10/15/2001
More paint on chain locker shelf.
Bled and tried to start genset; no go.
Climbed main mast, untwisted main halyard
and spare jib halyard, and sprayed penetrating
oil on sheaves.  Main halyard runs smoothly
now; jib halyard still has friction.
Put mainsail and jib back up; looks like
a sailboat again !

10/16/2001
Headache all day.
Anchor chain delivered.
Scrubbed jib with laundry detergent to get
green stuff off; didn't work.
Measured and painted and cut anchor chain.
Bought two spare outboard propeller nuts ($8).
Climbed mizzenmast, sprayed penetrating
oil on sheaves, took old halyard out, ran
new wire through.

10/17/2001
More headache all day.
Worked on anchor chain and chain locker.
Greased and reassembled windlass.

10/18/2001
Still have headache; didn't sleep much last night.
Epoxied wood into anchor chain locker;
very difficult, not sure it's going to hold.
Occasional light rain.
Took fisherman anchor off mounts, lubricated it,
rebedded one of its mounts.

10/19/2001
More epoxy on wood in anchor chain locker.
Climbed mizzen mast and finished last halyard;
all sails up again !
Painted parts of pilothouse and edge of
pilotouse roof.
Bought dielectric grease ($6).
Ordered Bahamas chartkit ($110) and
outboard motor service manual ($33).
Put dielectric grease on running lights.

10/20/2001
Very humid, occasional rain in morning.
Put most of anchor chain locker together,
put chain in it.  Lost about 1.5" of
freeboard (out of 72") at bow; may
have gained about the same at the stern.  Chain
gets bunched at various places; need to
make shelf a little smaller and lower to
improve things.  But generally works okay.
Removed starter motor and solenoid from genset.

10/21/2001
Lots of rain this morning.

10/22/2001
Found that freezer is "weeping" water down the
side, getting the port settee cushions wet.
Found that AC bilge pump works if there is
enough water in the bilge, but when I tried to
fix a cracked end of the wire, I found that the
whole wire (including end inside electrical
panel) is crumbling and must be replaced.

10/22/2001 - 10/29/2001
Vacation from boat: Toronto.

10/30/2001
Back on the boat.  No problems except
a little fuzz on the woodwork from moisture.
Occasional light rain in morning.
Bought jigsaw ($32).  Bought reconditioned genset
starter motor and solenoid ($242) from Belle Marine.
Cut and painted more wood for anchor chain locker shelf.
Bolted starter motor onto genset.

10/31/2001
Cut and painted anchor chain locker shelf.
Reconnected starter motor wiring to genset.
Starter motor works but genset would not start.
Ran main engine for 15 minutes; engine hour 1420.8.
Took carburetor off outboard motor, but a small
plastic part jumped over the side and sank.
Got mask and fins and dove, but couldn't find it.
Ordered new part, and gasket for carburetor.
Bought dowel ($2) for anchor chain locker,
and painted it.

11/1/2001
Weather says tropical storm Michelle
could become a hurricane and come here.
Put anchor locker stuff together and a
wood block I'd epoxied to the hull came loose.
Messed around with outboard carburetor.
Filled water tanks.
Bought used 35 lb Danforth HT anchor ($90).
Some rain in evening; wind gusting to 30+.

11/2/2001
More gluing in anchor chain locker.
Rearranged genset sound shield to get at
top of genset; checked glow-plugs and zincs.
Big zinc is 100%, little zinc is completely gone.
Started hurricane preparations: took sails down
and put them inside boat.
Bought zinc for genset ($2).
Found a reversed gasket on the top of the outboard
carburetor; don't think that is enough to cause the
problems.  Put the carburetor

People here are starting to argue about the marina's
policy of kicking everyone out when a hurricane approaches.
Lots of dockside lawyering about can the sheriff arrest
us for staying, etc.
They'd rather stay and spider-web their boats into the middle
of the canal.  But boats could blow into it from the harbor,
there's a 1/4-mile fetch from a dangerous direction (south),
and there's a semi-derelict trimran hull right in the mouth
of the marina canal.

The only nearby mangrove hole is Whiskey Creek off
Sister Creek.  Harold plans to go there "early tomorrow
morning", and offers to lead me in.  Someone else gives
me a sketch of where the good water is in Whiskey Creek;
have to stay to far left side at entrance, almost scraping
the mangroves.  Sketchs a bunch of turns deep inside the creek.
High tide will be about 10 AM; Harold wants to go right
at high tide, because he has about 6 foot draft.  I decide
to go earlier, on rising tide, because I have 3.5 foot
draft and I want to lift off if I go aground.  I also
want to beat the crowds.  I'm about 80% decided to go.

Biggest problem is that my dinghy motor still isn't
working; the part I lost hasn't come in and I don't
think it would start without that, even if the carburetor
wasn't gunked up.  Put the carburetor back onto the motor,
to keep water from getting into the engine block if
nothing else.

11/3/2001
Well, Michelle's a category 1 hurricane, and it's going
to hit the Keys late tomorrow 11/4 (the projections
have it speeding up dramatically soon).  Now I'm 100%
decided to go; I'll come back to the marina and
sleep either in my car or in a shelter.  Couldn't sleep at
all last night, worrying about what I had to do, so I got
up at 3 AM and started doing things:
put genset sound shield back on, put epoxy in anchor
chain locker, packed stuff and took it out to the car.

At first, I was packing mostly stuff that I didn't want to
lose if the boat sank.  Then I realized that they
could evacuate the Keys, power lines could go down
or bridges could be damaged, and I would need stuff
to live for a week.  Started packing more of everything.

About 6 AM, took barbeque off stern rail, disconnected
water hose, cleaned up cockpit and cabin a bit.

About 7 AM, disconnected from shore power, started engine.
No sign of life from Harold's boat.  Engine start got
my neighbors going; they're moving the dinghies behind me
and getting ready to help with docklines.  It's tricky; gusty
east wind on port beam is pressing me into the dock.
Tried using a spring line, but stern quickly threatens to
hit dock.  Someone pushes bow out and I try to get past
boat in front.  After two false tries, I get out, barely
snaking past their brand-new inflatable dinghy.  Clear
their boat by about 3 feet, Harold's boat by about 8 feet.
Pretty close.

In Sister Creek about 7:30 AM, I pass a raft of 3 boats
accompanied by 2 dinghies, all heading for Whiskey Creek too.
Definitely want to get there before them.  At the entrance to
Whiskey Creek, a big sailboat is circling.  I follow the
tips I was given and go in on extreme left side, almost
scraping mangroves.  Found out later that the circling
boat is owned by guy whose dog bit me.  When he saw me
go right in successfully, he decided to follow.  But I
have 3.5 draft, he has 7 draft, and he ran aground.
I saw some 5 foot water right in the entrance, but
after that it was mostly 7 to 9 feet.

Passed one or two boats, then came to a fork I didn't
expect.  As I got into the fork, trying to look down
both ways to see where to go, a current grabbed
me, the wind wouldn't let me turn the bow up, and I
was forced down onto the mangroves.  A gentle impact
with them on the starboard side, but I cringed at the
scraping and small branches snapping.  Looks like
the propeller and rudder are clear, so I try to power off.
But the wind keeps preventing me from getting either
bow or stern off.  Finally I do, but the wind on the bow
forces me down the left-hand fork.  I follow it 100
yards and come to a trimaran filling the whole channel.
I back up into the wind and current, scrape more
mangroves on the port stern, including the dinghy (bad).
Takes forever to finally get an angle and a wind
condition where I can back out into the fork.

By that time, I've had enough, and I quickly motor back
out 100 yards to a notch I saw on the south side of
the creek, only about 1/4 mile inside the creek entrance.
I poke the bow into the notch, finding 7 feet of water,
tie lines to the mangroves on the starboard side, and
stop the engine.  Wish I had a deeper notch and deeper
water, but the direction is good (protected from south,
mostly protected from east), I don't want to keep going
and maybe get stuck somewhere else or run aground, and
I want to start tying off.  It's before 8 AM.  There is
only one other boat in the creek, Ivy on the other side
and 50 yards further out toward the entrance.

I put on a swimsuit, SCUBA boots, and sailing gloves.
Now the non-working dinghy motor becomes a real pain.
I have to paddle or hand the dinghy around the main boat,
and the wind and current and anchor chain and other lines
fight me.  I start by carrying the CQR 35 anchor and
3/8" BBB chain up a creek in the notch, hooking it around
a big mangrove about 50 feet in.  I'm sweaty and wet and
swearing by the time it's done.  The chain leads to the
starboard bow cleat.

Next I shackle 12 feet of 5/16" chain around a mangrove
75 feet off the port bow, run 3/4" nylon from there to
the port bow cleat.  I ask the guy from Ivy how the bottom
is in the channel, and he says it is bad holding:
current-scoured coral.  He recommends running line clear
across the channel to the mangroves after everyone is in.
But I don't wat to be here at that time; we may have
40-knot winds by then, and I'll have to be looking
for someone to tow me out in the dinghy after I set the lines.
Having little choice, I carry the 43 lb Danforth anchor
and 3/8" BBB chain from the port forward quarter cleat
out into the channel as far as I can, which is not very far
because the wind and current and chain are fighting me.
I drop it 50 feet from the boat, but with probably 100 feet
of chain lying on the bottom.  It's the best I can do,
and I'm getting exhausted.

I run the bitter end of the 3/8" BBB chain on the CQR anchor
across the deck to the starboard forward quarter cleat, then
over to mangroves off the starboard side, tying it
around the mangroves and seizing the "knot".

I tie 5/8" nylon onto the Danforth 35 anchor, carry it out
into the channel as far as I can, which is not very far
because the wind and current are fighting me.
I drop it 60 feet from the boat, attached to the port
stern cleat.

I run more 5/8" nylon from the starboard stern cleat to
mangroves about 100 feet away.  I shove a plastic
water bottle into the main engine exhaust to plug it.

Finally, I tie doubled 5/8" nylon onto the Fisherman 35
anchor, carry it out into the channel as far as I can.
I drop it 50 feet from the boat, attached to the port
aft quarter cleat.  That makes 7 attachments; only
starboard aft quarter cleat is unused.  Boat is most vulnerable
if wind comes across channel (from north), which is
unlikely because the hurricane should pass south of of us.
Boat probably will get pushed against mangroves on starboard
side if wind comes from north.

It's about 11:30 AM.  I start doing chafe gear, snubbers,
and seizing the chains around the cleats.  I'm cutting up
an old carpet for chafe gear.  Since the lines and chains
are tight already, it is hard work (especially the snubbers).
Finished about 12:30.

After some lunch, I start covering vulnerable equipment
in the cabin with plastic garbage bags, securing lines
on deck, stowing boat-hooks and spinnaker pole below,
tying jib poles to mast with additional line.  I try to
move the two dock-boxes from the stern into the pilothouse,
but they're too heavy and awkward and it's not clear they'd
fit.  Tired, I abandon that approach and lash them onto the stern.

By about 2 PM, I'm closing through-hull valves (except for
bilge pumps and cockpit drains), tightening port and hatch
fastenings, putting battery switch on Both, propping up
cushions so they won't sit in water, trying to figure
out what will fall if boat is shaken.

A boat between me and the creek entrance has tied lines
across the creek, blocking it.  People are complaining
and muttering about cutting his lines.

By about 3 PM, I'm asking passing people for a tow back to
the marina.  Someone tells me Michelle is now category 4!
Guy whose dog bit me promises a tow in an hour.
I duct-tape the forward and aft hatches closed, duct-tape
the companionway hatch, then Harold and Diver Dave come
by in a dinghy and give me a tow to the marina.  As we leave
the creek, I'm surprised: there can't be more than 15 boats
in the whole creek.  I thought there would be a stampede
of a hundred boats or more into the creek, including those
anchored in nearby keys.  Someone tells me later that there
probably will be a mini-stampede tomorrow, at the last
minute.

Things I thought of later:
- should have asked someone with a
	working dinghy motor to carry the anchors out.
- boat (like most) is not built for chafe gear:
	scuppers too small, cleats too close to toerail.
- boat (like most) is not built for using chain anywhere
	except to the windlass:
	cleats are too small and too close to toerail.
- should have put chafe gear around nylon tied to mangrove.
- should get and use chain-hooks for both ends of the snubbers,
	instead of running from cleat to rolling hitch.
- need to get something for making a "knot" in 3/8" BBB chain;
	I didn't have any shackles that fit.  Maybe a hook ?
- forgot to duct-tape lower edge of companionway hatch.
	Pretty stupid; that's the most exposed part of the hatch.
- should have tested the bilge pumps just before leaving
	the marina; I tested the primary pump a week ago.
- should have made repairing the dinghy motor a higher priority.
- should have put on sunscreen; the day changed from cloudy
	and rainy to sunny and hot, and I got sunburned.
- to get anchors with chain out further, should have put all
	chain in the dinghy, with nylon running from chain to boat,
	so weight of catenary of chain wouldn't fight me.
	After anchor is down, pull nylon in and tie chain to boat.

It's rough in the harbor; 25-35 knot wind and whitecaps.  The
marina people haul out our dinghies and store them in a building.
Given stories about storm surge putting 3 feet of water on the
docks (which are at the same level as the building), I hope
the dinghy will be safe.  The building itself is very sturdy.

Apparently Michelle is now category 3.
To my amazement, no one else in the marina has moved their boat.
Now they're almost unable to leave, since rising wind
is pinning them against the dock.  Five of us help Harold
take down his roller-furled sails, which is a real adventure
because they have to be unfurled in this strong wind,
and he doesn't know which lines down the mast are the halyards.
It takes a solid 20 minutes to get the two sails down.

I shower, get in the car and leave.  Lots of traffic heading
for mainland, but all moving at full speed.  I know they've
told non-residents to leave Keys (which I later found out
also applied to boat people), but no one at marina knew
if Keys shelters or mainland shelters were open, and there
is nothing on the radio.  Stop at fire station in Key Largo
to find out that Keys shelters are closed, and nearest open
shelter is at FIU in Miami.  I go there.

The shelter is just opening; I seem to be the first evacuee.
It's in an office building in the university; lots of people
bringing in cases of soda.  No one knows where I should sleep.
After hauling in some of my stuff, I'm told to go to a room
where people are setting up cots.  TV people keep trying
to strike up conversations with me.  My cousin in Ft Lauderdale
saw me on the TV news the next morning, walking down the hall
carrying my stuff.  Finally someone says this room of cots is
for "special needs" people only.  He leads me to other end of
building, and as we're walking down a hallway he says "you can
sleep anywhere in here".  I thought he meant any room, but
they were all locked offices, and after a few seconds I said
"you mean you expect me to put my blanket on the floor and
sleep on it?".  He said "yes, we have cots only for special
needs people".  I decide not to sleep on a concrete floor,
leave, and go to my cousin's house in Ft Lauderdale.

11/4/2001
Michelle is now category 4, but still is
hovering south of Cuba, has a little more eastward
movement, and may only sideswipe the Keys.
There's a mandatory evacuation of lower Keys residents,
and hurricane warning for entire Keys.
Pretty strong wind up here in Ft Lauderdale.

11/5/2001
Looks like Michelle is down to category 1, and Keys
did not get hit too hard.  I'm still in Ft Lauderdale,
and plan to drive back to Keys tomorrow morning.
I figure there will be traffic jams today, and I
don't want to arrive late and get stuck at the marina
with nowhere to sleep and no way to get my dinghy
and no way to get a tow to Magnolia.  Still a fair
amount of wind and rain here in Ft Lauderdale.

11/6/2001
Drove Ft Lauderdale to Marathon; didn't see any
damage except for a few broken trees in the park at
Marathon.  Beautiful sunny calm day.
Got to Magnolia at 1 PM; she looks unchanged.

Lots of hard work to get anchors and lines up.
Two nasty cleanup jobs: the duct tape in the hot sun
left glue all over the hatch rims (Goof-Off took it off),
and there are lots of mangrove bark stains on starboard
deck.

A bit of trouble coming out of Whiskey Creek; had to stop
because a boat had a line across, and combination of
prop walk and current from behind pushed me against
mangroves on the starboard stern.  I need more practice
with currents in narrow channels.  Came out at low
tide; had 4 1/2 feet at shallowest point.

Docked at 6 PM with 20-knot wind onto dock.  Big crowd
watching, one guy shouting "slow down", but I did a
decent docking, ending up motionless about 5-10 feet out.

Turns out that no one else left the marina.  A few
spider-webbed their boats out into the middle of the
canal, but some didn't bother to do even that.
They're lucky Marathon was spared.  People disagree
about how strong the wind got; some say 60 some say 40.
Only a few people left the Keys, and they went to stay
with friends, not at the shelter.

11/7/2001
Started putting stuff away after hurricane; it's
going to take days to get back to normal.
Scrubbed nasty mangrove stains with
Barkeeper's Friend (oxalic acid); some stains came off
completely, some just faded.  My back aches.  Still have
the cold I've had for 5 days.  Sunburn has faded.
Dockside lawyers are getting together a petition
to protest marina manager's actions during the hurricane.
Paid slip rent for November ($473).
Called Red Cross about being asked to sleep on concrete
floor in shelter; they insist everyone knows all about
it, but that's not what I've found talking to people here.
Called county emergency mgmt about having
evacuation order status available on county
web site; they appreciate input but web site is
maintained in Atlanta (!) so updating is very hard.
Tested genset fuel lift pump by loosening
outlet pipe: plenty of fuel comes out when I operate
priming lever, so it seems okay.
Opened access hatches in bases of masts, just to see
what I could see.

11/8/2001
Did a bucket of laundry.
Put sails back up.
More scrubbing of nasty mangrove stains.
Got genset running !  I feel like a complete idiot:
I think most of the problem was that I was throwing
the preheat switch the wrong way (it isn't marked;
down is "on").  Ran genset for 15 minutes; hour
meter reads 158.3.
Outboard dealer lost my parts order; placing it again.
Will get rebate from marina for the 3 days Magnolia
was out due to hurricane.
Took engine exhaust flapper valve off, because the
flap is hanging on by threads.
Bought AWAB hose clamps for stuffing box ($22),
open galvanized 5/8" thimble for anchor rode ($4).

11/9/2001
Cleaned barbeque and put it back on.
Did bucket of laundry.
Replaced hose clamps on propeller shaft stuffing
box with AWAB clamps.  Two of the old clamps weren't
on very tightly, and two were rusted enough
to be easy to snap in your hands.
Scraped and brushed a lot of rust and flaking paint
off rudder shaft mounting.
Cut through interior wood and took out cracked main
port aft shroud chainplate.  It is badly
cracked from both edges.  Because it was bent to
too sharp an angle, the turnbuckle above it was bent.
And the head came right off one of the bolts when
I put a wrench on it; now all bolts are suspect.
Bought two chain-hooks ($13) for snubber,
sun-shower ($18).

11/10/2001
Painted rudder shaft mounting.
Bought anchor rode thimble ($2), exhaust
flapper valve ($10 with discount), socket
set accessories ($4), ordered turnbuckle ($59).
Installed exhaust flapper valve.
Messed around with genset, looking for
thermostat, took off oil pressure gauge.

11/11/2001
Went to measure fuel in tank and instead ended up
cleaning lots of nasty wet rust from top of tank;
made multiple passes at it all day.
Since one nut on rudder skeg bolts is rusty and
cracked, decided to replace them all.
Bought nuts ($1), propane tank ($32), propane ($13),
propane hose ($16).
Replaced nuts on rudder skeg bolts.
Measured fuel in tank: 14 inches; max is 18 inches.
Since I measured 13 inches two months ago, and
haven't added fuel since, looks like measuring
is unreliable.
Bought wood ($1), cut and painted it to make
propane tank platform.
Took horn down, opened it up, took out a huge
insect nest, polished chrome.

11/12/2001
Drilled and painted wood for propane tank platform.
Took cracked chainplate to metal shop to have
new one fabricated.
Not feeling well; took nap.
Polished chrome on binnacle.
Did my first splice: eye-splice around thimble
on 3/4" anchor rode.

11/13/2001
Assembled and painted propane tank platform.
Dentist appointment.
Bought thimble for anchor rode ($1), screws ($1)
and feet ($2) for propane tank platform.
Thimble with rope is too big for hawse hole.
Recaulked screws on teak above port side of transom.
Finally received outboard motor parts ($6).
Ordered 2002 Customs decal ($25).
Tried to do chain splice from 5/8" anchor rode to
shackle, but gave up and did eye splice instead.

11/14/2001
Did bucket of laundry.
More paint on propane tank platform.
Put outboard motor back together.
Dumped bad gasoline and old oil; decided need
whole new tank and hose.  Bought new tank and
hose and filters ($38) and gas treatment ($2)
and gas.  Put everything together, prayed,
and got outboard motor started !!!  Took a
spin up Sister Creek to test it out.
Ran genset for 15 minutes to exercise it.
Ran engine for 15 minutes to exercise it.

11/15/2001
Mounted propane tank platform onto boat.
Onan dealer showed me where genset thermostat
is (under fresh water tank), but recommends
leaving engine running cold.  Tried to remove
fresh water tank but every bolt is frozen;
got several of them out.
Ran outboard (lots of smoke), took it for
a short spin, greased the tilt mechanism
and got it working much better (mechanism
and zerks were choked with dried grease).
Bought $76 worth of spare filters and oil.

11/16/2001
Tried again to get to genset thermostat, and
gave up; tubing fittings to fill tank are frozen
solid and I don't want to damage them or tank.
Couldn't get exhaust elbow injection fitting
off either.
Scraped rust off genset parts and painted them.
Bought new cap ($4) and overflow hose ($1)
for genset water tank.
Tried to fix fluorescent light in aft cabin,
bought new bulbs ($10), no go.
Took dinghy for a spin.
Respliced the thimble onto the 3/4" anchor
rode, putting a shackle through the thimble
before doing the splice.  Got all anchor
rode stowed in chain locker !

11/17/2001
General cleanup and straightening up the boat.
Outboard plugs oily; cleaned them and took dinghy
for a spin.  Still runs rough.
Girlfriend, her dad and two cats arrive.  Bliss !

11/18/2001
Moved lots of suitcases and boxes on board.
Should have measured freeboard before and after.
Cats are comfortable on boat.
Scavenged a come-along from the dumpster, too
rusted to save anything except the nice hooks
on the ends.
Mounted propane tank on new platform; need to
work on better lashings.
Motored out through Sister Creek and went for
a brief sail !  Blowing about 20 knots, 3-foot
swells, lots of lobster trap buoys.  We sailed
for about 5 minutes, with engine in neutral,
then decided to go in (especially because
a chainplate is still out).  Had a hard time
furling the sails: jib wrapped so tightly that
ran out of furling line, main furling line
rubbed under outhaul and couldn't get main
furled all the way, mizzen fought me too.  Lots
of flogging, and by the time it was over, there
were threads hanging off the leech of the main
(damaged it; will have to take it down and examine).
Found a strand of rigging wire on the aft port deck;
can't tell where it came from.
Undock-to-docking time was about 2 hours.
Engine ran like a champ; later someone on another
boat said they were envious that we sailed
because the 3 boats behind us along the dock all
have engine problems right now.
Did various scrrubbing and cleaning on deck.
We were all tired in the late afternoon, but
drinks and a nice pork-chop and potato-au-gratin
dinner made us feel better and put us to sleep.
The poor cats are totally traumatized; the engine noise
made them hide a bit, but the surging and swaying
over the swells really drove them into the far
crannies and they didn't emerge until late at night.

11/19/2001
Polished various chrome.
Messed with pressure water system.
Checked outboard plugs, added more gasoline
to dilute the oil.
Ordered rigging wire and parts for topping
lifts and dinghy hoist ($72), and rigging
tension gauge ($52).
Nice dinghy ride up the harbor to Dockside.
Barbecued shrimp and yams and broccoli dinner.
Disaster: there's a carnival in town, and
the carnies are staying in the marina, on
the other side, apparently until December 30 !
Noise, crowding, and apparently there have
been thefts when they stayed here in the past.

11/20/2001
Bought innerspring mattresses for aft cabin
berths (later returned both of them; too thick).
Twin one barely fit through the companionway hatch,
and it's a lot thicker than I expected.
Tried to put eye-bolts on propane tank, and
found that one had concentric threads instead
of screw threads.  Boggled my mind; how did
a machine that stamps out a billion of these
make one like that ?
Took main down and looked at damage to leach.
Not bad: row of stitching holding sacrificial
Dacron onto sail came out.  Started to hand-stich
the seam.

11/21/2001
Lots of hand-stitching on mainsail seam.
Lashed propane tank onto platform.
Took out aft-port scupper fitting to fix
deck leak.
Returned innerspring mattress of starboard
aft berth (too thick).
Received new chainplate ($50).
Bought bolts and nuts for chainplate ($5).
Bought 3M 101 caulk ($11).
Took dinghy for a spin; ran rough, and hit
something at high speed, but seems to be
no damage.

11/22/2001
Thanksgiving day.
Tilley, our spare cat, appeared soaking wet
at about 5 AM.  She must have gone overboard
or off one of the dinghy docks, but we
didn't hear it happen.  No ill effects.
Finished hand-stitching mainsail; put it
up and re-reeved the furling line to
reduce friction.
Reinstalled aft-port scupper fitting; very
messy job with caulk on all 6 bolts.
Huge dinner: turkey, stuffing, cranberry,
yams, leftover cornbread, green bean salad.
Main cat (Ginger) enjoyed turkey neck very
much; spare cat (Tilley) wasn't interested.

11/23/2001
Examined outboard motor propeller to see if
any damage is evident; don't see any but
someone says a "spun hub" appears only as
slippage at high acceleration.
Put new metal nut on outboard propeller shaft.
Painted rusty spots on outboard motor.
Touched up gelcoat chips on dinghy sole.
Installed new chainplate and turnbuckle on
port aft main shroud; dealing with interior
woodwork was the hardest part.
Went to take out starboard aft main chainplate:
cut interior wood, removed turnbuckle,
got chainplate 2/3 of the way out but it
won't go any further.  Going to use some
dye penetrant on it to see if there are any
cracks, but everything looks good so far.
Bought bolts for chainplate ($5), construction
glue ($2), plastic food containers ($6),
piece of rebar for emergency tiller ($2),
acetone ($4).
Received rigging tension gauge, and USA Customs
decal number 2536601.

11/24/2001
Bent and ground a piece of rebar to make an
emergency tiller.  Fits on rudder post but
still have to figure out how to disconnect
hydraulics to use it.
Couldn't find dye penetrant for testing metal,
so reinstalled starboard aft main chainplate.
Adjusted outboard idle mixture and then took
dinghy for a spin; prop hub definitely is spun.
Ran genset for 15 minutes and then changed
oil and filter.

11/25/2001
Tested emergency tiller at the dock, and
the hydraulic steering behaved differently
before and after the test.  Maybe
disconnecting the hydraulic ram and moving
it to one side disturbed something in it.
Before: 5.5 turns lock-to-lock, and turning
past lock bled through the relief valve.
After: 5 turns lock-to-lock, and turning
past port lock bleeds properly, but turning
past starboard lock hits a hard stop.
Went for a sail: left dock using a spring
line from the stern and backing down onto
it to swing thebow out; worked with an
assist from a boathook.  Out Sister Creek, toward
the reef, put up jib and mizzen.  About 15
knots of wind and a 3-foot swell, some
whitecaps.  Tried 5 or 6 times to tack, but
the swell kept stopping us dead, so we jibed.
Lots of rocking and rolling, cats were a bit
unhappy, humans complained a bit too.  Making
sandwiches was a challenge.  Dinghy needs
better lashings.

11/26/2001
Measured rigging wire tensions (cold).
Lots of loose wire, a few slack wires,
forestay too tight.
Cleaned bilge.
Investigated replacing genset fan belt;
don't see any way to adjust belt tension.
Bought spare genset fan belt ($12).
Scraped barnacles off waterline.
Tested primary and secondary bilge pumps.
Ordered new outboard propeller ($83).

11/27/2001
Found emergency tiller (after making another one).
Received rigging parts (minus back-ordered wire).
Bought AC wire ($18), cable clamps ($10),
gray Rustoleum ($3).
Replaced AC wire to AC bilge pump; dropped
several busbar screws before Sandy told me
to tie a thread to the screw to avoid losing it.
Bought replacement screws ($1) and used hacksaw
to shorten them; bought AC connector ($4).
Scraped and painted emergency tiller and
steering wheel shaft.

11/28/2001
Checked for leak at port aft scupper that
we rebedded; no leak !
Tried to figure out how to wire upper stern
light; will not be easy.
2nd coat of paint on emergency tiller.
Removed main starboard forward lower chainplate;
turnbuckle and chainplate look okay, bolts
look okay, one nut looks cracked.
Bought wood paneling for port after berth,
tape, stain, painting stuff, batteries (total $52).
Bought bolts for chainplate ($5), nylon line for
anchor rode snubber ($6).
Painted ceiling of pilothouse.
Bought first installment of provisions.
Reinstalled main starboard forward lower chainplate.

11/29/2001
Sanded rebar emergency tiller and windlass handle.
Removed main port backstay chainplate.
Spliced rope to make anchor rode snubber.
Cleaned bilge and tested manual and AC bilge pumps.
Bought bolts for chainplates ($6 with coupon).
Glued cabinet tracks.
Attached cat-carpet to port end of swim platform.
Reinstalled main port backstay chainplate.
Took dinghy out to buy canned goods from Richard
(second installment of provisions).
Removed main starboard backstay chainplate.
Bought third installment of provisions.

11/30/2001
Found main starboard backstay chainplate has
huge crack in it, and turnbuckle above it is bent.
Cut and stained wood paneling for port aft berth wall
and for cabinet doors for galley aft shelves.
Ordered new chainplate, new turnbuckle ($59),
harnesses and jacklines ($190).
Paid for one month's parking for 2 cars at marina ($43).
Removed main port lower forward chainplate;
it looks okay.
Took dinghy out to buy more canned goods from Richard
(fourth installment of provisions).
Found water in bilge at base of compression post;
probably from bilge pump test yesterday.

Provisions for 3 people for a month in Keys/Bahamas:
- 6 lbs sausage
- 10 lbs chicken
- 6 lbs pork
- 4 lbs steak
- about 150 cans of soda
- 36 bottles of beer
- 2 bottles of rum
- 4 big bottles of wine
- 250 gallons water
- 120 cans of vegetables, chili, fruit, meat, etc
- 15 boxes of Granola
- 5 boxes of crackers
- 8 bags of cheese curls
- 7 big bars of chocolate
- grains: rice, etc
- pasta: 3 lbs spaghetti, 3 lbs linguine
- 15 rolls of paper towels
- 24 rolls of toilet paper
- 2 lbs cheese
- 4 lbs peanut butter
- about 25 lbs or propane
Probably spent about $500 on provisions.

12/1/2001
Left marina today; anchored out in Boot Key Harbor.
Reinstalled main forward lower port chainplate.
Bought handheld VHF ($147),
DC wire ($6), net ($9) for scooping up fish or
cats, water jug ($6), dinghy gas and STP ($10).
Bought fifth installment of provisions.
Received innerspring mattress for port aft berth.
Set new paneling in place in port aft berth.
Filled all tanks with water, charged all batteries,
cooled freezer down before leaving marina.
Anchored using 43 lb Danforth and about 55 feet of
chain in 8 feet of water plus 5 feet of freeboard;
scope shorter than it should be.
Ginger (main cat) came into cockpit and was
amazed to see water where there had been a building.
Cooked steak, yams, mushrooms, broccoli on grill
in 15 knots of wind.
Cool, breezy night.  Guy in the boat behind us had a
loud fit of swearing at 2 AM.

12/2/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Girlfriend had a bit of culture shock this
morning: no easy way to heat water for
coffee or dishes or shower.  Heated water
on stern grill for coffee and dishes.
Cats seem to like life at anchor better
than life in a slip: no doggies, no people
walking by and making noise.  But it's hard
to tell with animals that sleep 23.9 hours
per day.
Nice sunny day with 5-10 knots of wind.
Removed main starboard double chainplate;
looks good except small turnbuckle slightly
bent, and mashed threads on several bolts
(because the holes are too small).
Various cleaning and restowing.
Took sun-shower with Joy detergent on stern deck.
Onion and mushroom omelette with yams and
bacon grilled in the cockpit for lunch.
Ran genset for 1.5 hours; sanded aft half of
outside/underside of pilothouse, while charging
batteries, running freezer, cooking spaghetti.
Another sun-shower to remove sanding dust.

12/3/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Mounted socket for 12-volt power under main settee.
Added 10 gallons to water tank.
Dinghied ashore ($3), carrying 3 people, garbage, water
jugs, innerspring mattress to return.
Mutinous crew demanded real showers ($3); macho
skipper took sun-shower on stern deck.
Bought fiberglass cloth ($6), cable for locking
dinghy ($30), foam fire extinguisher ($32).
Bought sixth installment of provisions.
Bought West System epoxy ($37), bolts for
chainplate ($6), received new main starboard
backstay chainplate ($50).
Ran genset for 1.75 hours.
Pork chops and potatoes au gratin and broccoli
for dinner.

12/4/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Ran genset for 2.15 hours in morning.
Crisis: couldn't find ground coffee; had
to make do with instant.
Sanded forward half of outside/underside of pilothouse.
Skipper took sun-shower.
Tried to put chainplates in; one needs an
additional bend, other needs holes enlarged.
Tried to enlarge holes with files and reamer, but not
much progress.
Crew replaced joker valve in forward head toilet.
Navigator took sun-shower/bucket shower on stern deck.
Installed DC outlet under main settee and wired it
to Radio switch on electrical panel.
Crew investigated non-working fluorescent in aft cabin.
Measured fuel level as 13.5 inches.
First mate took sun-shower on stern deck with eager
loofah assistance from skipper; as soon as she started,
two dinghies came by, one very close.
Ran main engine for 1.5 hours to charge batteries;
genset doesn't seem to be charging them very well.
First mate tried some fishing (with turkey giblets as
bait) at 5:30, and there was pandemonium when she caught
a 10-12 inch catfish.  After some struggle, we managed
to take out the hook and threw it back; probably the
fish was the one least traumatized by the whole incident.
First mate now vowing to live on tofu.
Dinner was grilled chicken, mixed vegs from can, rice.
First mate informs us she always catches fish as soon
as she puts a hook in the water; I think we'll keep her.

12/5/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Batteries at 11.8 and 12.3 volts; refrigerator
must be sucking a lot of power.
Ran genset for 2.25 hours in morning.
Used drill to enlarge holes in chainplate;
installed starboard main double chainplate.
Added 16 gallons to water tank.
Dinghied ashore ($3); crew took shore showers ($3).
Received new outboard propeller, dropped
old one off to be re-hubbed.
Had new backstay chainplate bent to make it fit.
Bought conduit to extend net handle ($4),
pilothouse primer and paint ($25), battery
tie-downs ($6), lock for dinghy ($3).
Received harnesses and jacklines and tried
them on; very stylish.
Turned up refrigerator temperature to 3.5.
Skipper took sun-shower on stern deck with
loofah assistance from first mate.
Started to install starboard main backstay chainplate.
Ran genset for 1.5 hours.
Apricot chicken and rice for dinner.

12/6/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Hard rain in middle of night, more rain off
and on all day.
Wind 15-25 knots all day; some gusts higher.
Installed starboard main backstay chainplate.
Cleaned and lit kerosene lamps.
Tested jacklines to see how we want to rig them.
Turned down refrigerator temperature to 4;
ice cubes not freezing.
Installed new fire extinguisher in galley, in
more accessible location than old extinguisher.
Removed port main double chainplate; some rust
on it, some bad threads on the bolts, and the
connector bolt was shortened by someone.
Refrigerator not running at all; may not have
restarted after last night's AC-DC transition.
Girlfriend pretty unhappy about weather, no-see-ums,
refrigerator, etc.
Inspected mizzen turnbuckles in place; none bent.
Ran genset for 2.5 hours.
Drilled holes to make metal extension for fishing net.
Drilled holes and installed house battery tie-downs,
working in engine compartment while genset was running.
Dinner was crab cakes (canned crab), yams, peas, salad.
Aft water tank empty !  Are we using 20 gallons a day ?

12/7/2001
At anchor out in Boot Key Harbor.
Hard rain in middle of night, more rain off
and on all day, hard rain at 2 PM.  Less wind.
Batteries not charged (11.9 and 12.1); must
be something wrong with AC battery charger.
Ran engine for 1.75 hours to charge batteries;
ammeter showing about 30 amps, voltage measures 13.
Sawed metal to finish extension handle for
fishing net.
Added 15 gallons of water to tanks.
Started removing port aft mizzen shroud chainplate;
someone sawed bolts to make them shorter;
had to trim away some wood to get socket on nuts.
Dinghied ashore ($3) to do laundry, fetch water, etc.
Added another 30 gallons of water to tanks.
Got stuck on boat waiting out hard rain, then
got soaked going back to shore.
Felt pretty discouraged by weather.
Received turnbuckle, received two ports,
bought bolts ($15), board for vise ($1),
caulk ($11), Marinetex ($22).
Propeller didn't get re-hubbed; guy at Tugboats
didn't call to have it picked up.
Crew had showers ashore ($3).
Bitten by lots of no-see-ums while loading dinghy
for trip back to boat.
Ran genset for 2.25 hours; battery charger says
8 amps but voltage measures 13 while charging.
Hoppin' John (black-eyed beans, ham, salsa,
sour cream over rice) for dinner.
Very still, slightly stuffy night.

12/8/2001
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Nice day, very calm.
Batteries at 12.0 and 12.2
Visit from Harold.
Installed main starboard backstay turnbuckle
and main port double chainplate and turnbuckles;
all main chainplates done !  Summary: out of
8 main chainplates, replaced bolts and nuts on all,
replaced two cracked chainplates and two bent
turnbuckles.
Jury-rigged a turnbuckle on mizzen backstay.
Removed mizzen port aft shroud chainplate;
all parts look good.
Crew lovingly restored wood paneling over main
settee, which was savagely ripped out by
unfeeling skipper when doing chainplates.
Ran genset for 3 hours; battery charger
drew about 13 amps at startup.
Suspect that we haven't been filling water tanks
to top, so we ran out of water early.
Reinstalled mizzen port aft shroud chainplate.
Removed mizzen starboard forward shroud chainplate.
Sun-showers for everyone.
Drilled holes to mount vise on a board.
Motored out Sister Creek, around Boot Key,
then in the other end of the harbor (through
Boot Key Bridge).  Getting Danforth anchor
to let go of the muck took some time.
Some swell on the beam in the ocean, which
made cats very unhappy.
Anchored using CQR and windlass and snubber;
worked well after a few false starts.
Nice evening in cockpit, cheese and crackers
and fruit for dinner.
Batteries at 12.2 and 12.5
Hot, fairly still night, with one rainshower.
Crazy guy next door dinghied past and yelled
at us for being too close, although we aren't
any more.

After one week anchored out, main problems seem to be:
- keeping batteries charged
- conserving water
- air-leak in fresh water system irritates everyone
- need simpler way to heat water for coffee and dishwashing
- crew attacked by no-see-ums
- girlfriend bothered by heat and stuffy air
- skipper tense because crew unhappy
- crew tense because skipper is tense
All in all, probably a typical first-week-on-boat experience.

12/9/2001
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Batteries at 12.0 and 12.2
Beautiful sunny, still morning.
Added 58 gallons to water tanks; we definitely
haven't been filling them full.
Dinghied ashore ($3) to showers for crew ($3),
get water ($2), do shopping.
Bought port paint ($18), pilothouse paint ($10),
fiberglass restorer ($10), silicone caulk ($5),
glues ($7), termite stuff ($7), staples ($15),
sanding discs ($4), shower curtain ($18).
Motored about 4 hours, from Marathon to
Long Key Bight.  Most of it in an uncomfortable
3-foot swell from south (on the beam).
Most at 6.5 knots, 1900 RPM.  Cats very unhappy
at the rolling, which got to 20+ degrees to
each side at times.  We had a bit of a scramble
lashing down water jugs and dinghy and stowing
anchor chain in the swell; should have done
it in Sister Creek.  Need fenders for dinghy.
Skipper slept in port aft berth for 45 minutes or so.
Engine hours 1437.7
Batteries at 12.0 and 12.8 ???
No other boats in anchorage at Long Key Bight.
Anchored with CQR and 60+ feet of chain in
5-6 feet of water.
Saw flying fish, and crew saw a manta ray
leap out of the water.  Light wind, a few bugs,
water completely still.
Skipper took sun-shower.
Ran genset for 3.5 hours.
Spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner.
Lots of fish jumping all around us.
Tons of stars; navigator gave us a brief
lesson on them.

12/10/2001
At anchor in Long Key Bight
(approx lat 24.49.6 long 80.47.5).
Sunny morning with 10 knots east wind coming
right into the anchorage, causing a light
swell directly on the bow.
Batteries at 12.3 and 12.0, after all of that
battery-charging yesterday !  Batteries must
be bad (e.g. sulphated, low electrolyte, etc);
we charged two different ways, and
then used only one battery, but both are low.
Crew washed the deck.
Measured fuel at 12.5 inches.
Reinstalled mizzen port aft and starboard forward
chainplates and shrouds.
Motored from Long Key Bight to Snake Creek.
Wanted to go to Rodriguez Key, but by Alligator Reef
decided it was too far.  3+ foot swells made ride
pretty uncomfortable.  Motored at 6.3-6.4 knots,
1900 RPM, for about 4 hours.  Winds from east at 10
knots of so, and forecast to stay that way for at
least a week.  Navigator slept in port aft berth for
an hour or more.
Went through Snake Creek bridge from ocean to gulf.
Anchored in Cowpens Anchorage, after
running aground.  Skipper felt very stupid: saw
shallow water ahead, said "gee, that looks
shallow, wonder if we'll go aground", then went
ahead into it and, sure enough, ran aground.
Floated off 15 minutes later.
Anchored with CQR and 60+ feet of chain in
6-7 feet of water.
Engine hours 1441.9
Removed mizzen port forward chainplate.
Took dinghy for a short ride to exercise it.
Skipper and navigator took chilly sun-showers.
Chili and cornbread and salad for dinner.
Ran genset for 2 hours.
Genset hours 158.35

12/11/2001
At anchor in Cowpens Anchorage (Tavernier;
approx lat 24.59.0 long 80.35.0).
Sunny morning with 10 knots east wind,
very light rain sprinkles once or twice.
Batteries at 12.0 and 12.3
Found positive battery cable terminator on
#2 battery is very corroded.  Sanded and
lubricated positive on #2 and negative on #1.
Girlfriend very upset about hot, sticky, stuffy
sleeping at night.  Vowed to leave boat.
This has been a recurring problem, and she's
near the end of her rope.  Will try switching
her from starboard aft cabin berth to V-berth tonight.
Ran genset for 1.75 hours.
Genset hours still 158.35; hour meter not working !
Reinstalled mizzen port forward chainplate,
removed and reinstalled mizzen starboard aft chainplate.
Motored 2.8 hours up ICW from Cowpens Anchorage to
Buttonwood Sound.  15 knots east wind, whitecaps.
Glad we stayed inside instead of going back out
into ocean; no rolling, humans and cats happier.
Removed mizzen starboard upper chainplate.
Girlfriend very unhappy that we are not planning to
go ashore and reprovision and do things like
buy mattresses.
Batteries a little healthier:  12.3 and 12.
Lunch and crew snooze in Buttonwood Sound.
Lots of mud came up on chain and got on foredeck.
Major cleaning of guck under stovetop.
Motored to Tarpon Basin, tried to set CQR anchor
twice on south side (mostly coral bottom), gave up
and CQR anchored on north side (approx lat 25.07.6
long 80.26.0); no other boats there.
1.5 hours of engine time.
Ran genset for 30 minutes.
Dinner was grilled chicken, salad, canned corn,
leftover rice and Hoppin' John.
Tried to heat the corn in the (opened) can on
the propane grill; not very successful, mostly
because it was too dark to see what was happening.
Canadian crew tormenting skipper by taking every
opportunity to call the dinghy "the canoe".

12/12/2001
At anchor in Tarpon Basin (Key Largo).
Sunny morning with a few clouds and
5-10 knots east wind.
Girlfriend feeling okay, although she didn't
try the V-berth last night.
Batteries 11.9 and 12.2
Cleaned other two battery terminals and
ran genset for 1.75 hours.
Reinstalled mizzen starboard upper chainplate,
removed mizzen port upper chainplate.
Added 8 gallons of water to tanks.
Crew launched dinghy with minimal help from skipper.
Dinghied ashore to Quay Restaurant (closed,
out of business).  Stopped at pawn shop to
look at folding bicycles, went to KMart, library,
Publix.  Bought velcro ($20) for hatch screens.
Reinstalled mizzen port upper chainplate.
Removed, sanded, reinstalled connection of
negative battery wire to engine block; was
pretty rusty.
All took sun-showers.
Some gusts of 20 knots in evening.
Two other boats in anchorage.
Humidity and bugs less tonight than last night.
Ran genset for 3 hours.
Made pizza for dinner.

12/13/2001
At anchor in Tarpon Basin (Key Largo).
Cloudy morning with 5 knots east wind;
occasional brief showers.
Batteries 12.0 and 12.4
Fuel measures 15 inches !  Dipstick unreliable.
Navigator couldn't sleep all night because of
fire ant bites on feet, swollen feet from
walking yesterday.  First mate has blisters
and scrapes on feet from yesterday's walk too.
It was only a mile or so, but they walked in
shoes without socks, and hadn't walked ashore
for several days.

Motored from Tarpon Basin to Blackwater Sound
(Key Largo), anchored in terrible holding, and
dinghied ashore to go to West Marine and
Walgreens.  Fast current coming under bridge;
docked at the mostly-vacant Florida Bay Club
and no one hassled us.  Bought battery connectors
($20) and crimper ($31).  First mate bought
Fujinon Mariner 7x50 binoculars with compass
and night-light ($195).  Bought batteries ($10).

Motored through Blackwater Sound to Gilbert's
Holiday at Jewfish Creek.
Docked at fuel dock and had our first fuel
dock experience: what a fiasco !  Expected to
put in 100+ gallons of diesel, but first 21 gallons
caused a backup in the fill pipe and spilled
a gallon or two of diesel on the top of the tank in
the engine compartment, and into the bilge.  Maybe vent
is plugged ?  Skipper tried to mop up diesel
in bilge, getting burned by hot engine, while
crew loaded 5 gallons of diesel into spare jug,
maybe 20-40 gallons of water into tanks, another 17
or so into water jugs.  $46 for diesel, $5 for water.
Prices: $1.79/gallon for diesel, $5 for tank of water.
Fuel dockmaster kept pushing us to get it over with
and pay up, while we were trying to mop up.
Awkward undocking in fast current and wind; tried to
get bow off (into current from bridge), but stern
pressed in and threatened to rip dinghy off, so ended
up backing stern off, then letting bow blow down away from
bridge, then doing a U-turn, and then had to hold station
against current and wind for several minutes.
Got through Jewfish Creek bridge (approx lat 25.11.0
long 80.23.0) at 1:15; barge came through first.

Motored up through Barnes Sound,
under Card Sound bridge, through Little Card Sound,
into Card Sound.  Anchored with CQR and 85 feet of chain
in 10 feet of water just west of Pumpkin Key (approx
lat 25.19.6 long 80.18.0).
Engine hours 1451.1

Sun-showers for all.
Tried making a "Florida": Kirchwasser (cherry brandy) and
2 other liquors, plus orange and lemon juice.  Tolerable.
Removed forestay turnbuckle.
Pork chops, rice, etc for dinner.
Ran genset for 2 hours.

12/14/2001
At anchor west of Pumpkin Key (Card Sound, Key Largo).
Beautiful sunny morning with 5 knots east wind.
Batteries 12.2 and 11.8

Reinstalled forestay turnbuckle; it's at the very
end of its extension; forestay should be 2 inches longer.
Turnbuckle probably should be replaced; might
be slightly bent, but hard to tell.
Fuel measures 11 inches.
Took fuel vent hose off vent through-hull.  Vent seems
to be clear.  Blew air into tank and it came out
vent hose, so that seems to be clear too.
Removed main settee table and removed steel access
plate from top of fuel tank, but lost heart when
faced with prying up a crumbly 6 inch x 1 foot cork
gasket covering 2" x 2" and 2" x 4" access holes.
First mate did lots of cleaning all day; pilothouse
windows amazingly clean after squeegee and vinegar.
Skipper sponged 2.5 gallons of mostly-diesel out
of the bilge, a lovely job especially
since diesel dissolves latex gloves.
Navigator happy: he got to lash some things down:
poles to mast and diesel jug to stanchion.
Mounted fire extinguisher in port closet in aft cabin.
Big wakes from big powerboats.
Messed with stove wiring; one of the burners
won't turn off since the first mate cleaned guck
out from under the stovetop; still not right.
Investigated battery charger wiring; looks okay.

Skipper demonstrated saltwater shower with Joy,
followed by jump into water.  Quite nice temperature.
Tried to get back aboard using emergency ladder, but
top rungs hard to use because they're forced tight
against the hull, and metal jib track on top of toerail
is hard on the hands.  First mate followed with
shower and into water, decorously easing into water
instead of jumping.  Skipper did nice dive from rail.
Finished with sun-shower rinse.

Skipper and first mate took dinghy ride to see
rich people's houses and Angler's Club marina;
big powerboats lined up in there.  Almost no people to
be seen anywhere.
Lovely sunset turning from yellow to orange to red.
Sponged saltwater from rudder post area.
Ran genset for 3 hours.
Fluorescent in aft cabin suddenly started working.
Dinner: bangers and mash ("bubbles and squeak") and vegs.

12/15/2001
At anchor west of Pumpkin Key (Card Sound, Key Largo;
approx lat 25.19.6 long 80.18.0).
Partly cloudy morning with 10-15 knots east wind;
brief rain at 7 AM.
Batteries 10.5 (battery #2) and 12.2
Added 4.5 gallons of diesel to tank; level went
from 11.25/11.5 to 11.5/11.75  No spill.
I think key is to add fuel slowly.

Motored up Card Sound and Biscayne Bay to
Dinner Key.  Under way, sponged up water near
rudder shaft, tried to fix rudder position indicator,
ran RADAR, ran auto-pilot for about an hour.
Ate fruit cup and granola bar underway.
Fair amount of traffic in middle
of Biscayne Bay, sailboats racing off to west of
channel.  Nice view of Miami skyline, multiple
cruise ships docked.  Anchored with CQR and 65 feet of
chain in 6 feet of water, between 2 and 4 markers
on south channel, after much nervousness/irritability by
skipper and two tries anchoring at a different spot.
(Skipper later attributed irritability to skipping lunch.)
Lots of boats in the anchorages.
Engine hours 1456.9
Flock of sailing dinghies racing to south of us.

Dinghied ashore, through fairly rough conditions.
Free but rickety dinghy dock south of Dinner Key Marina.
Eventually found nice shopping district southwest of
the marina; first mate got a mocha latte fix, and
they even have a Chocolate Festival going tomorrow.
Sent application to join Gulfstar Owner's Club ($35).
Dinghied back out through rough conditions.

Navigator saw two cruise ships leave Miami docks
while skipper and first mate were ashore.
Big sailboats with spinnakers coming back in on other
side of bay, near Cape Florida.
Sailing dinghies flocked back through channel into marina.
Ran genset for 2.5 hours.
Skipper made his world-famous spaghetti and
garlic bread, which was very well received.
Rabbit-ears antenna let us watch TV for first time in weeks.
Lots of small swell on the nose in exposed anchorage.

We've noticed that the cats have become more voracious
consumers of cat-treats since coming aboard, and are
getting more insistent about their need for more treats.
May need to bring back a dinghy-load of treats to avoid
disastrous shortage later.

12/16/2001 (Sunday)
At anchor east of Dinner Key (northwest corner of
Biscayne Bay, just south of Miami; approx lat 25.43.0
long 80.13.6).
Partly cloudy with 10-15 knots NE wind and some swell.
Lots of motion and little noises all night.
Batteries 11.3 and 12.2
Ran genset for 3 hours.
First mate made lovely bacon, toast and
poached-eggs-with-cheese breakfast.

Staticly tuned the rigging; temperature about 80.
Went pretty well, although one click of a halyard
winch changes tension from too-little to too-much.
Very hard to tell if mast is square and straight.
First mate cleaned, and found cat-fur everywhere.
Navigator took sun-sights with Indian sextant.

Dinghied ashore, wandered through nice boutique
area, got mocha latte decaf for first mate.
Tried to walk to supermarket, ended up getting
a cab ($4), going to KMart and Milam's Market on
32nd near US 1, then cab ($4) to marine store
that turned out to be closed, then cab ($7) back
to dinghy dock.  Bought various food and supplies,
and gasoline jug ($5).  Dinghy ride back was pretty
rough and wet.

Motored from Dinner Key anchorage to south side of
Rickenbacker Causeway (approx lat 25.44.3 long 80.10.3),
just west of Seaquarium.
Just after the anchor came up, a carpet we had
airing out on the mizzen boom disappeared over the side.
Skipper screwed up the navigation, plotting course
from north channel out of the anchorage instead of
the south channel we were using.
Saw a photographer and a model in a bikini on
the beach as we arrived; skipper suddenly decided
to practice his binocular skills.
Buzzed by jet-ski and various boats hurrying home
for dinner.  But this anchorage is much more sheltered
from the NE swell than the Dinner Key anchorage.
Sun-showers for skipper and navigator.

Ran genset for 2.25 hours.  Hoppin' John (sausage, rice,
black-eyed beans) and salad for dinner.
Watched TV (well, Fox).

12/17/2001 (Monday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Beautiful sunny day, supposed to get fairly hot.
Fuel measures 11.25 inches.
Batteries 12.3 and 11.8
Ran anchor light all night, for first time in cruise.

Skipper sponged another half-gallon of mostly-diesel
out of the bilge.  Sponged water from rudder shaft area.

Motored to Crandon Park Marina (through a tricky,
unmarked, shallow channel) and bought fuel
($120 at $0.99/gallon) at engine hour 1459.2:
115 gallons into the tank, 3.5 into a jug.
Filled water tanks and all water jugs.
Disposed of 3 gallons of dirty diesel from bilge.
Did laundry.  First mate rented a car to go to
mattress place, but didn't make it there in time.
Bought three days dinghy dockage and parking ($15).
Did more grocery shopping.
Anchored on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway again,
and dinghied back to marina to pick up first mate
and groceries.

Fuel consumption: previous owner said he filled
tank at engine hour 1372.
We just added 115 gallons to fill the tank,
and previously added 22 (minus 2 spilled) plus 4.5.
Engine hours = 1459 - 1372 = 87
Genset hours = maybe 50 ?
Consumption = 140 gals / 140 hours = 1 gallon/hour.
Maybe main engine = 1.3 gals/hour, genset = 0.4 gal/hour ?

Sun-showers for all.  Bloody Caesar's (vodka and
Clamato) instead of our usual rum-and-Coke's for
happy hour.  Barbequed ribs, potatoes, broccoli
for dinner.  Ran genset for 1.5 hours.
Navigator too exhausted to eat dinner; nibbled
some chicken, drank a Guinness, and to bed.

12/18/2001 (Tuesday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Sunny day with south and then west wind, as a front
moved through.  Would have been a good opportunity to
go to Bahamas last night, but we weren't ready.

Got up early and dinghied in to drive rental car to
foam supplier in Miami.  Ordered king-sized latex foam
slab ($442) to be cut into two slabs for mattresses for
aft cabin.  Then drove all around Miami and Coconut
Grove, shopping for various things.  Bought electrical
fitting for stern light ($2), cotter pins ($2), metal
wax ($10), 6.5 gallons of gasoline ($8) for dinghy,
sandpaper ($2).

Leftovers for dinner: ribs, Hoppin' John,
potato casserole, rice.  Stuffed ourselves.
Ran genset for 2.5 hours.  Watched JAG on TV.

12/19/2001 (Wednesday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Sunny day with light, variable, west and south winds;
pretty still in the morning.
Skipper sponged another 1/4 gallon of water and diesel
out of the bilge; pretty dry now.

Dinghied ashore to do a load of laundry, hit the
library, hit a pet food store, and pick up our new
latex slabs (for mattresses).
Key Biscayne is very nice; library had interesting
landscaping, and resident geese. Factory hadn't finished
cutting latex when we got there, and a few things
didn't come out exactly as we thought, but generally
things were satisfactory.  Stuffing two large
mattresses and 3 people into a small rental Ford Escort
was pretty funny; wish we'd had the camera with us.
Navigator wedged in firmly enough to survive any accident.
Skipper and navigator dinghied back to boat with two
mattresses filling the dinghy.  Skipper dinghied back
to pick up first mate after she returned rental car.

Hot in afternoon.
Refrigerator stopped running again; batteries are low
but not low enough to make it shut off, unless momentary
loads are spiking voltage down low enough to make
refrigerator stop.
Ran genset for 4.5 hours.
Weather forecast has some north in the wind for next 4 days,
so probably can't leave for Bahamas for at least 5 or 6.

Took out old foam mattresses and put in new latex slabs,
with mattress pads on top.  Upon lying down, first mate
gave such a cry of comfort and happiness that the whole
mattress-buying ordeal was worth it.  Later, skipper
further delighted first mate by putting up a sort
of Christmas tree, with Christmas lights.

Sun-showers for all.
Dinner was chicken-pineapple curry on rice.

12/20/2001 (Thursday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Wind clocked from south to west to north-northwest
during the night, and got cooler.
Sleeping on new latex mattresses was very nice.
Refrigerator still struggling; in middle of night,
seemed to be turning on for 5 seconds and then turning
off.  Switched to different battery, seemed to help a little.

Tried to repack rudder shaft stuffing, but nuts are frozen.
More investigation of rudder position indicator.
Took compass off binnacle and looked at it, cleaned
and polished it.
Navigator added a man-rope to the emergency boarding
ladder; skipper may test it at shower time, but gets
goose-bumps just thinking about it.
First mate did the usual litter-box and cat-hair
cleaning, triumphantly got soap-scum off
side of shower base, and eventually managed to
clear clutter off the cabin cushions.
Navigator and first mate reinstalled various moldings.
Found various loose wires inside binnacle.  Wish I
could take entire binnacle off, but that would open
the hydraulic steering lines.
Tried to fix rudder position indicator and failed.
Sun-showers were okay but the breeze was cool.
Skipper wimped out on testing emergency ladder.
Sanded through-hull access hatch in aft head.
Old foam mattresses are cluttering up the cockpit.
Model and photographer on beach.
Retreated from cockpit to cabin after sun fell.
Skipper finally got rudder shaft packing lock nut loose.

Homemade pepperoni pizza on wheat crust for dinner.
Ran genset for 3 hours.

12/21/2001 (Friday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Sunny with NW 5-10 knots wind.  Cool last night
with NW 10-15 knots wind.

Raised anchor under sail (just main up; went very
well) and had a nice downwind sail
to Dinner Key south channel.  First time sails have
been up in this cruise !  Wanted to anchor under sail,
but swell and building wind made us start engine.
Tried to anchor 2 or 3 times in congested anchorage,
went inside and did a drive-by past the dinghy dock,
went outside and tried to anchor again, finally gave up.
We wanted to dinghy ashore and get rid of our old
mattresses, but conditions were just too rough.

Motored through 20 knot wind and whitecaps and swells,
up through bridges to cruise ship docking area,
in heart of port of Miami.  Saw 6 or 8 cruise ships,
and Jim Clark's sailboat Hyperion.  Tried to go down
Government Cut for a closer look at some cruise ships
but were intercepted by a law enforcement boat and
turned back.  Great views of cruise ships and fancy
hotels and skyscrapers.

Anchored back south of Rickenbacker Causeway.  Saw
fishing boat pick up unmarked line of lobster traps that
we must have missed with our anchor by 50 feet or less.
Lubricated lock-nut on rudder shaft stuffing box.
Sun-showers.  First mate not feeling well.

Spaghetti and garlic bread and salad for dinner.
Cut and soldered laptop power cord so can run laptop
from boat house batteries.
Ran genset for 2.7 hours.

12/22/2001 (Saturday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami).
Partly cloudy with NE and E 5-15 knots wind.  N with
gusts to 25 knots last night.

Added second lashing to swim platform.
Moved cat litter-box from aft head shower to
port stern corner of deck.
Did a couple of gelcoat touchups.
Removed winch-handle holders from the masts; the
holders were full of greasy mildewy dirt impossible
to clean, and we don't use the holders anyway.

Skipper climbed mizzenmast, partly to impress the crew,
but mostly to detach the topping lift so it could be
replaced.  Not too bad, even in 10+ knots of
wind and a few wakes from passing boats.
Failed to remove topping lift; a single bolt
attaches the topping lift, halyard and backstay !
Not sure how I can free the topping lift without
disassembling everything.
Measured mast height.  Took cotter pins out of
triatic stay turnbuckle and tried to loosen it
and lubricate it, but only aft end would turn.
Put anti-seize on it, tightened it, and put cotter
pins back in.

First mate has been unhappy all day, and now assures
skipper she really, really, really wants to go home.
So tomorrow we'll start heading south.
Can go to Pumpkin Key and then decide whether to go
east to Bahamas or south to Marathon.
Main problems seem to be: hard to get hot water for
dishes and showers, hard to do laundry, doesn't
like living with dirt, doesn't like no-see-ums,
doesn't like wave noises at night, nervous about
no job and continuing mortgage payment.

Tested running laptop off house batteries; works !
Curry and rice for dinner.
Ran genset for 2.5 hours.

12/23/2001 (Sunday)
At anchor on south side of Rickenbacker Causeway (Miami;
approx lat 25.44.3 long 80.10.3).
Partly cloudy with E and SE 10-15 knots wind.  E with
gusts to 25 knots last night.  First mate is in evil
mood; spent all night worried that cats would fall
overboard using litter-box on stern.  Made skipper
get up in middle of night when cat wanted to use it,
and move litter-box into cockpit.  First mate wants
off boat ASAP.  Finally decides sailing south is
soon enough.

Saw dolphins during breakfast.  Raised anchor under
sail singlehanded.  Sailed S at 1.5 to 2 knots with
only main up into 15-20 knots SE wind and swell.
Later raised jib and sailed 4-5 knots, but swell
and wind kept pressing us west out of the channel.
Finally started engine and motored down Biscayne Bay
to Angelfish Creek in Card Sound.  Anchored in 8 feet
of water near mouth of Angelfish Creek.  First mate
did some fishing with turkey giblets as bait,
immediately hooked a small striped
something-or-other, which we tried to offer to our
main cat.  She fled ignominiously, and we released
the fish.  Lots of nibbles but no catches after that.

Fancy omelets for dinner.  Ran genset for 2 hours.

12/24/2001 (Monday)
At anchor near Angelfish Creek (approx lat 25.20.1
long 80.16.0) in Card Sound.
Cool, damp, grey morning.  Decided to motor
out Angelfish Creek, back in, then south through
Jewfish Creek bridge.  But when we went out
Angelfish Creek, first mate said "let's go
oceanside to Rodriguez Key and see what that looks like".
So we motored down to Sound Pt, tried to sail
just as the wind went away (sailed at 1.2 knots for
10 minutes), then motored down through Snake Creek
(approx lat 24.57.0 long 80.35.0)
and anchored south of Cotten Key.
Saw dolphins in Angelfish Creek.  Afternoon turned
sunny, and water on gulfside was very still.

At one point, first mate described her attitude
toward wanting to make progress as "can't wait
until this nightmare [of a cruise] is over".
At other times, she seemed happier.

Sun-showers for all; first mate took a naked
sun-shower.  Since we didn't shower yesterday,
we all felt better afterward.

12/25/2001 (Tuesday, Christmas Day)
At anchor south of Cotten Key (Islamorada;
approx lat 24.56.8 long 80.39.0).
Beautiful sunny morning, light wind from N and NE.
Wind switched about 180 degrees during the night,
as expected.
First mate in evil mood.
Very dewy deck last night combined with cat litter-box
on stern made for a big mess: litter tracked all over
the stern deck and a bit in cockpit and cabin.
Washed down with lots of buckets of seawater and
some soap.  Moved litter-box back into aft head.
Big told-you-so from first mate, and she's right.
Cleaned outboard spark plugs (oily) and took dinghy
for a short spin to exercise it.
Started motoring southwest.  First mate wants to
get to Marathon and off boat, but it will take
one more night on the boat to get there.

Motored down through fairly boring territory,
although beautifully clear and fairly still water,
and when we got near Channel Five bridge, we
saw several groups of dolphins.  Probably about
12 to 15 animals total, over a 20-minute period.
Two of the first group went darting right under
the bow of the boat as we coasted forward.
Later, a group of four came right up to the boat
and checked us out, one surfacing about 10 feet
from us as we stood on the foredeck.
First mate in better mood after that and lunch.

More motoring (sun-showers underway, and first mate
tried fishing but the boat speed just about pulled
the pole out of her hands), and we made such good
time that we went clear down to Marathon and into
Boot Key Harbor.  It was pretty crowded, but we
found a decent spot and anchored.
Engine hour 1482.1

We congratulated ourselves on a cruise without
any breakdowns, collisions or damage to boats or
people.  Then, of course, when I went to start the
genset so we could cook Christmas dinner, it went
"click" and wouldn't crank.  Breakers looked okay,
all I could think to do was to run the blower to
cool off the engine compartment, even though the
overheat breaker was not popped out.  That didn't
do it, battery voltage looked okay, oil and water
were okay.  Finally, while demonstrating it to the
first mate, I tried pressing the Start button while
not holding the Preheat button down, and it started.
I've been doing it the other way for weeks; why
didn't it work this time ?

Grilled steak, potatoes au gratin, garlic bread for
dinner, chocolate ice cream for dessert.
Ran genset for 3 hours.

First mate in much friendlier mood tonight.
Maybe it's not all over between us.

12/26/2001 (Wednesday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Cold, cloudy, rainy morning.
Blew 20 knots last night, rained all night.
Anchor dragged 50-60 feet.  We had used
about 50 feet of chain in about 7 feet of water,
and the anchor was at the edge of a 4-7 dropoff.
Re-anchored with 60 feet of chain.

One deck leak, onto top of freezer.  Seemed to
come from two filled holes in the woodwork
above the opening port, and maybe from port frame.

Weather cleared a bit in the morning, which was
fortunate since we made 4 dinghy roundtrips to move
all of crew's stuff from boat to shore.  They
had an amazing amount of stuff, since they came to
the boat from selling the navigator's condo.
First two trips included taking the old aft cabin
mattresses ashore; skipper wittily said "it just
wouldn't be a dinghy trip without a mattress!"
(We figure we've made 5 dinghy trips with
mattresses.)  Last trip, in afternoon, had two
unhappy cats in travel-cages on board.

Picked up a ton of accumulated mail at the PO box.
Still no cat entry-permission from the Bahamas,
which we applied for in October.
Bought a weekly dinghy pass ($16) and week's
worth of showers ($9) at Florida Keys Marina
(Marathon city marina).

Crew left to drive to California.  Not a dry eye
in the house.

Took a real shower for first time in 2+ weeks.
Bought weatherstripping for freezer lid ($5).
Cold and wet dinghy ride in the dark and 15+ knots
of wind, without lights, out to the boat.
Boat is very empty and quiet now.
Installed weatherstripping on freezer lid.
Ran genset for 1.5 hours.
Crackers for dinner.

12/27/2001 (Thursday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor
(approx lat 24.42.3 long 81.06.0).
Cool sunny morning with 5 knot wind.
Phone call from my brother-in-law, who's
going to be on a Sea Scout boat in the area
today; we'll try to rendezvous.

Cleaned both heads and galley and cockpit.
Tried to use laptop connected to house batteries
and it quit suddenly after 10 minutes; I guess
the 12 volts of house battery is not enough for it.

Warm and sunny at noon, then cooler in the
afternoon.  Ashore for shower.

After dark, dinghied out under bridge and out west
channel into edge of ocean, to pick up brother-in-law
and nephew from anchored boat and bring them to Magnolia
so they could see her.  Calm water, but cool
and dark evening, and long dinghy trip.  Out and back
to get them, out and back to return them.  Don't
like night-boating very much, at least in a crowded
harbor, and with lobster-pots in ocean.  Saw another
dinghy going 20 knots with no lights.
Sprinkled rain on us a bit.  They have 9 people
on a Morgan Out Island 41 !

Ran genset for 2 hours.
Spaghetti for dinner.

12/28/2001 (Friday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Still nervous about possible anchor dragging,
because Magnolia is near two other boats,
some mangrove, and a canal with hard seawall,
but it seems to be okay so far.
Sunny morning with almost no wind.
Did bucket of laundry.
Finally got rudder shaft packing nut off.
Warm, sunny, gorgeous in middle of day.
Bought packing extractor tool ($10) and
new packing ($14).
Dropped old outboard propeller off to be re-hubbed.
Got old rudder shaft packing out (was one continuous
length of 3/8"), put new packing in (2 pieces
of 1/2"), and we'll see if the leak has stopped.
Rice and leftover chicken curry for dinner.
Ran genset for 2 hours.

12/29/2001 (Saturday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Full moon last night, and Magnolia was
gently aground at low tide, because south
wind had her close to the mangroves.
I expected that might happen.
Gorgeous sunny morning with little wind.
No leaking from rudder shaft stuffing box.
Slid refrigerator out from underneath
counter, found condensor is clean, found
AC power supply positive connected to wrong
terminal (but probably okay anyway).
Ventilation holes need radical enlargement,
but first I need to figure out how to cover
the new hole.
Opened battery charger and adjusted
variable resistor upwards, to try to increase
battery charging voltage.
Bought fan ($16) to blow over condensor,
LED ($2) to show when refrigerator is running.
Found that forward head toilet water disappears (bad)
if intake valve is open, but not if valve is closed.
Damp and dewy and cool on deck in the evening.
Ran genset for 2.5 hours.
Sausage-and-cheese biscuits for dinner.

12/30/2001 (Sunday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Absolutely still last night, and damp and
cool and still this morning.
Wired fan and LED to refrigerator.
Bled engine primary fuel filters; no water.
Removed swivels from dinghy davits,
replaced with carabiners.
Spent some time in the marina, watching
TV, reading newspaper, talking to people.
Fried chicken (from supermarket) and ice cream
for dinner.
Genset won't start; just clicks.
Tried it again and again.
Ran main engine for 1.5 hours to charge batteries,
exercise engine, run refrigerator.
Finally got genset started; running engine made
genset breaker pop out, then I pushed it back in,
waited a minute or two, then genset started.
Ran genset for 1 hour to cool freezer,
charge batteries.

12/31/2001 (Monday)
At anchor in Boot Key Harbor.
Started raining steadily at 7:30 AM.
Rained until noon, then rained hard until 2:15.
Deck leaks under port settee, and above freezer.
Removed foam westherstripping around freezer door;
was doing more harm than good.  Replaced with
strips of electrical tape.
Dinghied ashore for shower and TV, back
to Magnolia at 5:30.  From 6:30 to 8:00 it
poured again.
Refrigerator seems to be running 100% of the time.
Genset wouldn't start.
Freezer in danger of getting warm enough to
spoil food.
Everything damp and cool.
Cooked hamburgers on camp-stove, ice cream for dessert.
Ran engine for 1.5 hours to charge batteries.
Genset still won't start.
Went to bed depressed about genset, batteries,
damp, etc.

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